Spanish PM Sanchez met with Chinese President Xi in Beijing as Europe reassesses its relations with the US and turns to China as a counterweight. / bne IntelliNews
By Ben Aris in Berlin April 15, 2026
The Trump administration’s being ostracized by the international community for America’s war mongering. That is making China a fulcrum in the East-West clash that now has its centre of gravity in the Middle East. World leaders are flocking to Beijing to find a counterbalance.
Russia has long since been pushed into China’s arms, thanks to the extreme sanctions imposed following the invasion of Ukraine, but now it is being joined by unlikely partners from Europe.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez made the trip to Beijing on April 14 to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and pledge closer ties in the face of the chaos in the current world order. Highlighting Beijing’s growing importance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was also in Beijing the same day.
Sanchez has been amongst the most outspoken European critics of Trump’s war in the Middle East and refused the US permission to use its military bases to fly supplies to its forces. He has also called out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s invasion of Lebanon, calling it illegal and demanding the arrest of the Israeli leader on the International Criminal Court (ICC) charges of war crimes. Spanish ministers have gone further, accusing Netanyahu of “genocide.”
Sanchez said on social media: "Today, with President Xi Jinping, I have confirmed that the bond between Spain and China emerges strengthened following this official trip. In a world that is increasingly uncertain, Spain is betting on a EU-China relationship based on trust, dialogue, and stability. We must continue advancing toward a multipolar order built from respect and pragmatism."
By referencing the “multipolar world order”, Sanches was acknowledging the geopolitical changes underway and the “rise of the rest”, as this has been a constant talking point for both Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin who have objected to what they term the “unipolar order”, a US-led hegemony since the end of WWII.
That is a sharp reversal from earlier nervousness of China's increasing cloud in international politics and its growing dominance of key sectors such as renewable energy and EVs. But with the decades-old transatlantic special relationship between The US and Europe in tatters, moving closer to China has become more appealing.
Europe and China must forge closer ties to counter threats to multilateralism, Spanish Premier Pedro Sanchez said as the old international order is "crumbling".
Europe has been revising its attitude to China and Sanchez is only the latest in a string of top EU officials to have made the pilgrimage to the Chinese capital, including Britain, Canada, Finland, Ireland and France.
Xi has also hosted leaders from the Global South as the BRICS+ group continues to develop. In particular Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the visit as years of enmity are put aside and Beijing and New Delhi build a new pragmatic cooperative relationship as ties amongst the leading Global South nations deepen.
Spain has been one of Europe's loudest proponents of expanding trade and treating China as a strategic ally, rather than the economic and geopolitical rival seen by Trump. Sanchez called on XI to take a leading role on issues from climate change to security, defence and the fight against inequality.
On the business front, the Spanish leader said Beijing had agreed to measures to narrow his country's trade deficit with China. The trade gap has more than doubled in four years, reaching nearly $50 billion in 2025, and now accounts for three quarters (74%) of Spain’s total trade deficit -- a figure Sanchez called “unsustainable” in the long term.
He also signed several agreements with Premier Li Qiang, including expanded access for Spanish agricultural products to China and improving Spain's transport and infrastructure, without giving details, Reuters reported.
Sanchez also discussed the "grave situation" in Lebanon, Gaza and Ukraine during his meeting with Xi. China has had its own showdown with Trump in the Strait of Hormuz refusing to heed the naval blockage imposed by the US on April 13. Two Chinese flagged ships ran the gauntlet a day earlier and successfully exited the Persian Gulf without the US stopping them.
China has played an important role in trying to bring the conflict to an end. As the biggest buyer of Iranian oil Beijing has a lot of sway over Tehran and pushed it to make concessions in the Islamabad Accord talks on April 12.
"The role China can play is important in order to find diplomatic means that end this war and contribute to stability and peace," Sanchez said. "All nations, especially those which are in dialogue and have not actively taken part in this illegal war, are not only welcome, but are also absolutely necessary," Sanchez added. This is his fourth visit to China in just over three years.
The Chinese president called for a "comprehensive and lasting" ceasefire in the Middle East, stressing that the solution to the crisis must be found through political and diplomatic means.
Lavrov laying the foundations for the multipolar world
To highlight just how multipolar China is, Beijing also received Russia’s foreign minister on a work visit with his counterpart. Lavrov met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss closer strategic alignment and criticise western policies during the opening session of talks.
Lavrov said preparations were under way for another meeting between Putin and Xi as “there are specific schedules for upcoming contacts” on the agenda. Since Xi became China’s president in 2013, the two have met more than 40 times in bilateral and multilateral settings.
Lavrov said that Moscow and Beijing intended to develop “concrete steps” to advance Xi’s global security initiatives alongside Putin’s proposals for a Eurasian security architecture – ideas the two presidents laid out in detail in a 8,000 word essay last year.
The Russian foreign minister accused European countries of planning “to form a new aggressive bloc involving Kyiv and direct it against Moscow”. He further said that “the West is artificially escalating the situation around Taiwan and on the Korean Peninsula”.
Wang said ties between the two countries continued to deepen, stating that “Russo-Chinese interaction continues to strengthen”. He added that both sides should “take advantage of the historic opportunity” to elevate their strategic partnership.
“Russia and China fully synchronize their positions and mutually support each other in international affairs,” Wang said.
No comments:
Post a Comment