China’s Xi meets Spanish PM Sánchez in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping met Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday, Beijing’s state news agency Xinhua said.

Sánchez’s trip comes as the European Union rethinks its global trading relationships in the face of turmoil caused by the US import duties announced last week that have sent world markets into a tailspin.

The Socialist prime minister is on his third visit to China in just over two years.

Spain buys about 45 billion euros (49.1 billion dollars) of goods every year from China, its fourth-largest trading partner, but sells around 7.4 billion euros’ worth.

Sánchez broke with the rest of the EU on his last trip to China in September 2024, urging the bloc to reconsider plans to impose high tariffs on Chinese electric cars and calling for a “fair trade order.”

The EU argued that the tariffs were necessary to protect European producers from unfair competition from state-backed Chinese firms.

His visit to China follows a trip to Vietnam, where in Hanoi on Wednesday he and counterpart Pham Minh Chinh signed a joint declaration aiming to elevate ties to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.