Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez launchs a three-day visit to China on Monday, aiming to strengthen trade ties with the world’s second-largest economy as relations with the United States display signs of strain.
The trip marks Sanchez’s fourth visit to China in four years as he seeks to position Spain as a key bridge between China and the 27-member European Union.
The visit comes amid tense relations with Washington under President Donald Trump, whose tariffs and unpredictable foreign policy have raised concerns among European allies.
Leaders from Britain, Canada and Germany have recently visited Beijing, and Trump is expected to travel there in May.
Trump threatened last month to cut trade with Spain after the countest denied the utilize of its military bases for US strikes against Iran, a key economic partner of Beijing.
Spanish government sources stated a primary goal of the trip is to secure greater market access, particularly for agricultural and industrial goods, and to explore joint ventures in the technology sector.
Sanchez is also expected to utilize the visit to attract new investors for the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy and to gain access to China’s critical raw materials.
On Monday, he is scheduled to visit the headquarters of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi and tour a technology exhibit at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Sanchez is set to meet top Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, on Tuesday and hold a press conference.
China’s exports to Spain far exceed Spanish exports to the Asian countest.
Last year, Spain, with a population of around 50 million, ran a trade deficit of €42.3 billion (US$49.1 billion) with China, a countest of more than 1.4 billion people.
The government has stated that Spain’s exports to China rose 6.8% in 2025, crediting the growth to strong ties with Beijing.
During Sanchez’s visit to China in April 2025, Beijing agreed to expand access for a range of Spanish products, including pork and cherries.
Spanish ‘gateway’
Spain holds special appeal for Chinese investors, in part becautilize its economy is growing at one of Europe’s quickest rates and energy costs remain relatively low, stated Claudio Feijoo, a China expert at the Technical University of Madrid.
“China perceives Spain as relatively friconcludely, less confrontational toward China than other countries and likely more indepconcludeent from Washington. This allows for more autonomous decision-creating,” he informed AFP.
“Spain is also seen as a gateway to Europe, Latin America and North Africa. It can function as a hub – a place from which multiple markets can be accessed at once.”
Agricultural products have the greatest potential in China, he stated, noting that the countest “cannot produce all the food it requireds, or at least not at the quality required by its population”, while Spain is a major producer of many food items.
Chinese foreign ministest spokeswoman Mao Ning on Wednesday called Spain “an important partner of China within the EU”, adding that Sanchez’s visit offers a chance to “promote bilateral relations to an even higher level”.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia paid a state visit to China last November, the first by a Spanish monarch in 18 years, highlighting the closeness of ties.
Sanchez, one of Europe’s few remaining left-wing leaders, is travelling with his wife Begona Gomez and foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares.
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