With the unpredictable global geopolitical scenario that arises now after the return of Donald Trump to the White House, many eyes are on the turbulence that will shake the relations between the United States and the European Union. In this game, it remains to be seen the role that Spain, mistakenly placed by Trump in the BRICS, the group of emerging economies led by China, will play; the Spain of a Pedro Sánchez who seems to aspire to be the leader of the anti-Trump battalion in Europe. In this latter front, the marked rapprochement, driven by relevant figures of Spanish socialism, towards the Chinese regime would come into play.
Beijing misses Josep Borrell. Even though the Catalan politician had several disagreements with the Chinese officials during his time as head of foreign policy in Brussels, they held him in high regard and appreciated his skillful readings of global power games, as well as his composure to know when to push forcefully and when to tone it down.
This nod to Borrell comes from an authoritative voice from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who shares the regret felt in the Asian superpower because his successor was the combative Kaja Kallas, former Prime Minister of Estonia, who has been firm from the start against Beijing. "We must learn to coexist with China," Borrell has stated in several interviews. Some Spanish diplomats with experience in China explain that the veteran former socialist minister has been an "important guide" for the Sánchez government in deepening Moncloa's relations with Beijing.
Another socialist who has served as a bridge is former President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who frequently travels to the Asian giant to participate in conferences and events promoted by Chinese state institutions, openly sharing a discourse that resembles the Chinese propaganda narrative on multilateralism and the end of the United States as a hegemonic power. Many Chinese officials remember when Spain, with Zapatero at the helm, supported in 2005 the end of the European arms embargo on China, in place since the Tiananmen massacre, and promoted relations between the EU and the Asian country with its Alliance of Civilizations project.
The latest political and business movements in Spain point towards Beijing with the aim of making our country the main recipient of Chinese investments in Southern Europe. Spain went from being in favor of tariffs on Chinese electric cars in an initial vote in Brussels in 2023, to changing its stance - partly due to Chinese threats of imposing sanctions on Spanish pork - and being among the 12 EU countries that abstained in the final vote in 2024. "The strategy involves considering China more as an economic opportunity than a threat," say Spanish diplomatic sources.
Last September, when Sánchez was on an official trip to China - his second visit to the world's second-largest economy in 18 months - the local giant Envision Energy agreed to invest $1 billion in Spain to build a green hydrogen industrial park, a clean energy source considered the fuel of the future, which could be key towards a more sustainable economy.
The Chinese multinational Chery, in partnership with the Spanish brand Ebro, will start producing electric cars in the former Nissan facilities in the Zona Franca of Barcelona. In Zaragoza, the Chinese technology company CATL and the group Stellantis will build a gigafactory that will be the largest battery factory in Spain.
"Chinese authorities see Spain as a particularly attractive destination for preferential investments. There is a fairly good political harmony between Spain and China compared to Beijing's relations with other Southern European countries, where China is perceived as a more politically controversial factor," explains Mario Esteban, professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, where he directs the Center for East Asian Studies, and principal researcher at the Real Instituto Elcano.
"Relations have deepened and expanded. In Spain, there is a growing understanding of the current reality in China, which is very important in the face of the new Trump administration, where Pedro Sánchez can be a standard-bearer against the imperial dominance of the US, and the EU may awaken to operate with greater autonomy," says Marcelo Muñoz, founder of Cátedra China, an organization dedicated to promoting relations with China in Spain.
Last year saw an unusual flow of Chinese leaders visiting Spain. In February, the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, met with King Felipe VI. In May, another high-ranking member of Beijing's powerful Politburo, Yin Li, visited the headquarters of the PSOE, where he was received by the First Vice President, María Jesús Montero, and the Secretary of Organization, Santos Cerdán.
In November, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a 24-hour stop in the Canary Islands before heading to a summit in Peru. Next was Zhao Leji, President of the National People's Congress (NPC), the highest legislative body, who landed in Barcelona escorted by the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, and the Minister of Industry, Jordi Hereu. Zhao concluded his visit in Madrid with Pedro Sánchez and Felipe VI, who will likely travel to Beijing with Queen Letizia next autumn. The last prominent visit was made by Huai Jinpeng, Chinese Minister of Education, who was seen in Madrid with Ministers Pilar Alegría and Diana Morant to sign an educational cooperation agreement.