Spanish Prime Minister Visits China, Xi Calls for Strengthening China-EU Relations and Avoiding Trade Conflicts

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Beijing on Monday, emphasizing the hope that Spain would play a "constructive role" in easing tensions between China and the European Union. Sanchez expressed his desire for the EU to avoid a trade war with China, even as Brussels considers imposing tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles. During their talks, Xi also mentioned strengthening commercial cooperation between China and Spain in areas such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy, new energy, and other high-tech fields. According to official Chinese reports, Xi stated that China hopes to develop a China-EU relationship with Brussels, where both sides maintain independence and autonomy while achieving mutual success and benefiting the world. He added, "I hope Spain will continue to play a constructive role in this regard." Sanchez responded, "Spain hopes to promote closer, richer, and more balanced relations between the two countries in a constructive manner."

In June, Beijing indicated that the EU's plan to impose tariffs of up to 36.3% on Chinese electric vehicles could trigger a trade conflict. Subsequently, China announced an anti-dumping investigation into European pork imports, further escalating tensions. In August, China launched an investigation into dairy subsidies from the 27 EU member states. Before meeting Xi, Sanchez stated at a business event that Spain would work towards a negotiated consensus on the electric vehicle dispute within the World Trade Organization, noting that "a trade war benefits no one." According to Chinese customs data, in 2023, Spain exported $1.5 billion worth of pork products to China, far exceeding the exports from the Netherlands and Denmark, while Spain's exports of dairy products to China last year were close to $50 million.

Notably, Spanish pork producers received a glimmer of hope during Sanchez's meeting with Xi. Sources revealed that the two sides "found harmony and understanding" during discussions about potential restrictions on Spanish pork exports. The source stated, "The meeting went extremely well," adding that both sides defended their positions while seeking agreements. Sanchez, in his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, stated, "We hope to build bridges together to defend a fair trade order." According to government statistics, Spain experienced a trade deficit of €17.27 billion (approximately $19.07 billion) in the first half of this year.