"Authoritarian states like China increasingly seek to assert their authority and control in our economy and society." The White Paper of the European Union mentions the Asian giant ten times in its analysis of what the 27 need to do to advance their strategic autonomy. While it does warn of the danger of China's influence through the economy in Europe, it also recognizes the country as "a key trading partner for the EU."
Amid these balances and alerts due to the country's increasing armament, Pedro Sánchez presents himself as a privileged interlocutor with China, beneficial for the EU. Thus, last Thursday, he announced after the European Council a new trip to China, the third consecutive one in the last three years. He becomes the only EU president received with such frequency by Xi Jinping and with a purpose: "Spain is going to contribute constructively" to fostering understanding between the EU and China, he said on Thursday.
The president thus consolidates the country's position on Xi Jinping as the 20th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between the country and Spain is celebrated, an alliance promoted two decades ago by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and now driven by Sánchez. Determined to explore other trade relationships for Spain, the head of the government has also arranged for a State visit by the King and Queen to Beijing in the second week of November this year. "It is a special year in our bilateral relations, and that also justifies why I am going to visit China," he explained to the press in Brussels.
"But beyond this anniversary, I believe it is relevant for Europe to build relationships with other countries. The world is vast, and we have always argued that Europe must ally with many other powers and regional blocs," he insisted. And it is within this framework that Mario Esteban, a researcher at the Real Instituto Elcano, places this new approach in Spanish foreign policy. "This shift towards China is more pragmatic, not a geopolitical alignment, it is pragmatism," he explains to EL MUNDO.
As he points out, "Spain is by far, among the major economies of the EU, the least dependent on China," which is why it has "more room to maneuver to deepen relations." The data is clear: the Netherlands and Germany are China's main customers in Europe, followed by Italy and France. Spain ranks fifth among the major European economies. However, China has already displaced France as Spain's second-largest customer, buying more from Xi Jinping than from Macron.
Despite this shift, Esteban believes that "it is a coherent approach with what we are seeing at the European Union level: faced with a more hostile United States, what the Spanish government proposes is to diversify our foreign policy because we have a very dependent relationship with the United States in many areas. What options do you have? There are not many countries that can be partners in important areas for Spain such as the green transition, the digital transition... and there China has things to offer, and that is the idea, to diversify risks and open up to other actors."
While the White Paper mentions the risk of "lack of transparency about China's military growth," it is unlikely that the Asian giant will advance in strategic contracts in this area with any of the 27, as the People's Republic has been under an arms embargo since the Tiananmen massacre, preventing the export of military equipment to the country.
Furthermore, the EU, along with the United Kingdom, also seeks to demonstrate its deterrence capability in the Indo-Pacific waters. Thus, a frigate from the Navy will integrate a multinational force led by the British aircraft carrier Prince of Wales, along with other countries like Norway and Japan, where they will test their deployment capacity in a key area where China demonstrates its superiority.
This is another example of the balancing act being carried out with the communist country, which Europe needs but also seeks to protect itself from. Esteban acknowledges that what Spain seeks in China are "productive investments" because "it is a technologically very important player, and having access to certain suppliers makes your companies more competitive. This aims to establish a level of business relationships that can be beneficial for Spain."
But Sánchez's stance could also benefit the EU, which has in the Italian Giorgia Meloni an intermediary with Donald Trump. And in Sánchez, it could have a similar case regarding China. As Albares stated in Congress on March 12: the relationship with China is "fundamental for the stability and prosperity of the planet."