From April 10 to 11, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez paid a visit to China. The two sides have pledged to build stronger ties and call for safeguarding the international trade order.
"I think what the prime minister is going to convey to the president is that Europe believes in an open and fair trading system," said Manuel Muñiz, Provost of IE University, as well as former State Secretary of the Spanish Foreign Ministry, in an exclusive interview with GDToday.
He thinks the visit has symbolic and strategic weight for Spain, as it seeks to reaffirm the diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries and to strengthen cooperation between China and Europe at large, up against the ongoing global disturbance under the shadow of the US tariffs.
EU and China uphold global trading regime, not fracture it
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Spain. The Chinese side has made it clear that China stands ready to work with Spain to build a more strategically resilient and dynamic comprehensive strategic partnership.
According to Sanchez, over the past 20 years since establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership, Spain and China have maintained mutual respect and friendly cooperation, and bilateral relations have developed steadily.
The visit, planned well before the recent U.S. tariff announcements, maintained its bilateral focus. Muñiz noted, "The EU remains committed to perfecting the international trading regime, not fracturing it."
According to data released by Eurostat on March 4, China remained the European Union's largest source of imports, accounting for 21.3% of EU imports, and its third-largest export market, representing 8.3% of EU exports.
Muñiz reiterated the EU's commitment to open and fair trade, criticizing unilateral tariffs. "The EU, as the world's largest trader with 15% of its GDP linked to international trade, must defend multilateral systems," he emphasized. China responded positively, agreeing to expedite market access for Spanish agricultural products.
Muñiz believes the trip was mostly highlighted through an economic trade and investment lens. "I think there's a lot of synergies and interesting collaboration around renewable energies and sustainable infrastructure. I think technology and innovation are quite significant," he added.
EU to have more constructive dialogues with China
During this visit, the Chinese side noted that both China and Spain are positive forces supporting multilateralism, openness, and cooperation. Meanwhile, the two countries should promote the building of a fair and equitable global governance system, safeguard world peace and security, and promote common development and prosperity.
That coincides with what Sanchez stated in his meeting with China. Spain and the EU are willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China to maintain the international trade order, cope with challenges including climate change and poverty, and safeguard the common interests of the international community.
"So I view the visit in bilateral terms, but it has a structural dimension, because he is the prime minister of a major European country," Muñiz added. "I think there will also be messages about climate change and the sustainability agenda, and (messages) on multilateralism, human rights, and peace and security."
He thinks these agendas highlighted in this visit are also linked to trade and economic development for Europeans. He expects more EU members will act to intensify bilateral engagements with China in upcoming terms.
To address global challenges, Muñiz thinks it is vital to hold annual high-level meetings between EU and Chinese leaders. "A yearly visit in one or the other direction from European leaders to China and others is maybe much more common," he explained, "because there are many things on the international agenda that will require Europe and China to have a constructive dialogue if they are to be addressed.
Script: Guo Zedong
Video: Ou Nanying
Poster: Cai Junru
Editor: Yuan Zixiang, James, Shen He
