[Source/Observer Network by Pan Yuchen, edited by Gao Shen] On April 8, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced: At the invitation of Premier Li Qiang of the State Council, Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez will visit China from April 10 to 11. According to Bloomberg, Sanchez will be the first European leader to visit China since former US President Trump imposed tariffs on most regions around the world.

It is worth noting that this will be Sanchez's third visit to China in two years. In the face of increasing global economic uncertainty, especially under severe pressure for both countries, they both support establishing closer relations, with Spain being China's preferred partner in Europe.

Sanchez attended the China-Spain Business Forum in September 2024 Visual China

"One of the best ways to deal with tariff threats is to strengthen various relationships, and China can play a huge role in trade," said Cristina Gallach, former Deputy Minister of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She indicated that Sanchez's trip is timely and wise.

Before visiting China, Sanchez first arrived in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. He told reporters that the EU needs to change its stance towards China and expressed that Spain can play a role in establishing a more balanced relationship between the two. He added that the new policies of the Trump administration have forced each country to make adjustments.

A source who wished to remain anonymous stated that Spain focuses more on China as a partner; another person, who also requested anonymity, revealed that Sanchez aims to promote an independent relationship between Europe and China from the United States. However, it remains unclear how much Sanchez will influence EU policy.

In 2024, Sanchez publicly criticized the EU for imposing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. During the final vote on whether to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, Spain abstained.

Bloomberg noted that in recent years, Spain has received billions of euros in investments from Chinese enterprises in electric vehicle factories, battery factories, and renewable energy projects. During Sanchez's current visit to China, further cooperation may be announced, and more new investments may be made in the green energy sector.

Last April, China's leading self-branded automaker Chery Automobile established a joint venture with Spanish automaker EBRO in Barcelona to jointly develop electric vehicle products; in November of the same year, the first model co-produced by Chery and EBRO - the EBRO S700 - was launched in Spain.

Chery collaborates with Spanish company EBRO to produce electric vehicles Visual China

Notably, in December 2024, CATL, the world's largest power battery manufacturer, announced a collaboration with Stellantis Group to build a large-scale lithium iron phosphate battery factory in Spain, with an investment exceeding 4 billion euros.

Data shows that Spain is the second-largest automobile manufacturing country in Europe after Germany, with an annual production of nearly 2.5 million units in 2023 and an expected production of about 2.3 million units in 2024.

In addition, in January this year, China Three Gorges Corporation's subsidiary, China Three Gorges Europe, signed agreements to officially acquire the Jieying photovoltaic power station in Spain. Located in the southeastern Murcia region of Spain, the photovoltaic power station has a total installed capacity of 495,000 kW and an annual average power generation of approximately 750 million kWh, enough to supply electricity to 450,000 residents.

The photovoltaic power station acquired by China Three Gorges Corporation in Spain China Three Gorges Corporation

China Three Gorges Europe is mainly responsible for clean energy investment, development, and operation in the European region, entering the Spanish market in 2020. Prior to reaching this acquisition agreement, its total installed capacity in Spain's clean energy reached 1.35 million kW.

Mario Esteban, director of the East Asia Research Center at Autonomous University of Madrid, stated that these investments enable China to view Spain as a stable partner country within the EU.

It is worth mentioning that in recent years, Spain has become the fastest-growing economy in the eurozone. Data released by the National Institute of Statistics of Spain in February this year showed that Spain's GDP achieved strong growth of 3.2% in 2024, far exceeding the official forecast of 2.7%, reaching four times the average level of the eurozone.

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