Bridges of dialogue

The prospects for ties between Spain and China are very promising as they are based on firm friendship

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is scheduled to visit China and have his third meeting in three years with President Xi Jinping in April, marking the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Over the past months, the link between Madrid and Beijing has made the greatest qualitative leap forward.

The continuous goodwill demonstrated by Madrid and Beijing and the concrete results from their cooperation are in sharp contrast to the increasing barriers to the flow of people and goods being erected by some countries. In 2024, 647,801 travelers from China arrived in Spain, an increase of around 66 percent compared to 2023, according to the Spanish government data. Moreover, closer relations will allow Spain to consider further consular improvements for the much larger number of Chinese tourists to the country, according to various analysts in the sector.

The comprehensive strategic partnership signed in 2005 revitalized the bilateralism of more than half a century, combining a high degree of concrete actions and symbolism, as the Eurasian Yiwu-Madrid train attests. In 2024, Spain's trade volume with China totaled $50.1 billion, exceeding Spain's trade with the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands. The trade link is therefore significant, but more dialogue and efforts are needed to achieve more balanced trade.

In 2024, the Spanish economy grew by 3.2 percent, more than double the eurozone average of 0.9 percent, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development projects a 2.6 percent GDP increase for it in 2025, well above Europe's major economies. Meanwhile, China continues to grow at around 5 percent, and it is at the forefront of global technology, as reflected in the historic announcements led by the DeepSeek platform in January, and the Chinese inventive breakthrough showcased in the Mobile World Congress 2025 in March in Barcelona, and soon the 106-years old Automobile Barcelona, the international car show to be celebrated in May.

During the former, arguably the largest and most influential connectivity event in the world, Chinese companies such as Huawei, China Mobile, ZTE and Xiaomi won in different categories at the 30th edition of the Global Mobile Awards. And tellingly, more than 300 Chinese companies showcased their latest innovations.

Prime Minister Sánchez's trip comes after Chinese automaker Chery and Spain's Ebro-EV Motors opened a factory in Barcelona, heralding further moves toward next-generation cars. At the end of March, Zaragoza is set to become a possible manufacturing center for the Leapmotor B10 for Europe, consolidating Spain's status as a key player in electric mobility in the European continent hand-in-hand with China, as reported by Reuters and Spain's Diario de Sevilla newspaper. Spain sees room to seal Chinese investment in Spain's electric car, battery and green industries as a whole in the context of an old and highly significant friendship.

Paving the way for King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to make a possible visit to China later this year is also very significant. Spain sees itself as a bridge between civilizations. The first royal Spanish visit to China dates back to June 1978, just months before China's reform and opening-up policy started. The very fact that Prime Minister Sánchez visits China for the third time in a relatively short period of time is a testament to enduring friendship between Spain and China.

Every day brings some new and crazy news that causes countries around the world to adjust aspects of their foreign policy, sometimes opening new windows of opportunity. Therefore, at this moment, as important as it is to keep in mind some significant achievements described above and the results to be announced during the official visit to Beijing in April, it is equally important to strengthen the bridges of dialogue between Madrid and Beijing and to see them, in turn, in terms of EU-China significance. The Spanish factor of the EU is more significant today than it was before.

Meanwhile, the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment could be revived in a concerted EU-China effort, and this should be decided sooner rather than later.

It is also significant that the proposer of the concept of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, proposed at the UN in 2004 and launched in 2005, was former Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who has spent several days in China participating in a series of events that contributed to both the Madrid-Beijing, EU-China and multilateralism linkages. He took part in the Boao Forum for Asia, also known as the "Davos of Asia", held on the island of Hainan, which this year brought together 2,000 representatives from 60 countries from Asia, Europe and the Global South, with which Spain has a privileged relationship due to its civilizational, political, diplomatic, commercial and investment ties with Latin America, a continent with which China also has very important relations. And on the Chinese side, the Global Civilization Initiative launched by President Xi is profoundly valued by the international community. There are synergies that deserve to be explored.

On the Spanish side, beyond the official dimension, its former ambassadors in Beijing continue to actively promote better relations with China, holding conferences, writing articles and even books, among whom the three-time ambassador to China, Eugenio Bregolat, stands out at the Spanish and European level. Meanwhile, Rafael Dezcallar, Spain's most recent former ambassador to China between 2018 and 2024, just published a book entitled The Rise of China: A Look at the Other Great Power. His epilogue argues that agreements with Beijing should be sought whenever possible to solve the major global problems, which without China's contribution can hardly be addressed. This, he argues, requires considering its interests, because otherwise it will be impossible to reach solutions acceptable to all.

A word to the wise is sufficient.

The author is director of the Dialogue with China Project and former global expert in the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.