The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, is carrying out an official visit to China that began on April 11 and will extend until Wednesday, at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang. This is Sánchez's fourth visit to China in four years and represents another important high-level exchange between the two countries in a short period, following the visits of King Felipe VI of Spain and Sánchez himself last year. According to various experts, both countries seek stability, pragmatism, and rationality in their partnership. Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing University of Foreign Studies, noted that Sánchez's frequent visits to China highlight the high degree of continuity and stability in Spanish policy towards China. He added that they also reflect the strategic consensus of both parties to institutionalize and maintain long-term high-level exchanges. From boosting the development of bilateral relations in 2023, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, through the signing in 2024 of various cooperation agreements in areas such as services trade and the digital economy, to the consensus reached in 2025 to formulate and implement the action plan (2025-2028) to renew the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, the first three of Sánchez's visits to China were marked by a long-term vision and contributed to steadily deepening and diversifying bilateral relations. Ding Chun, director of the Center for European Studies at Fudan University, stated that Sánchez's fourth visit continues to boost the close high-level exchanges between China and Spain and will inject new momentum into the development of their comprehensive strategic partnership. In this context, strengthening ties between the EU and China is considered one of the objectives of Sánchez's visit. According to Martínez Tapia, Spain considers China a relevant partner of the EU, which helps to present the Asian country as a key actor to be considered in European debates. The Spanish expert opined that China offers “real stability, legal security, and a favorable environment for investment,” which demonstrates that it is “a country that respects the rules,” thus reinforcing its attractiveness as an international partner. China is Spain's main trading partner outside the European Union. China is Spain's main trading partner outside the European Union (EU), while Spain is an important partner of China within the EU. In this regard, the Spanish expert believes that Spain can play a “bridge” role to deepen relations between the Asian giant and the Old Continent. In recent years, the economic and trade relations between China and Spain have demonstrated a remarkable capacity for resilience, with cooperation in the new energy and green industries being particularly notable. Last November, the Chinese company CATL and the multinational automaker Stellantis began construction on a joint-venture battery plant in the Aragon region in northeastern Spain. The program of Sánchez's visit to China includes a visit to the headquarters of the tech giant Xiaomi and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as chairing a forum for Spanish and Chinese companies in the energy, infrastructure, bioscience, and technology sectors. Observers point out that these visit plans aim to further deepen cooperation between China and Spain in areas such as trade, investment, the ecological transition, scientific and technological innovation, and transport connectivity, reflecting the pragmatic nature of cooperation between the two countries. According to data from China's General Administration of Customs, the total volume of bilateral goods trade exceeded $55 billion in 2025, an annual increase of 9.8%. The agenda of Sánchez's visit to China also includes a meeting with specialists in international relations. Spanish political scientist Óscar Martínez Tapia also highlighted the importance of the newly adopted 15th Five-Year Plan in a recent interview with the Xinhua news agency. “In a world full of uncertainty, stability is an important signal,” the political scientist stated, as medium and long-term plans allow for setting a clear direction for economic development. In 2024, Chery Automobile and the Spanish Ebro-EV Motors created a joint venture to produce electric vehicles in the Barcelona Free Trade Zone. Cui believes that, taking advantage of this visit and coinciding with the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), both parties can continue to explore possibilities for cooperation in emerging areas and create more flagship projects.
