Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez began his fourth trip in just over three years to China on Monday, April 13, 2026, as the Spanish state seeks to deepen commercial ties and secure critical raw materials from the world’s second-largest economy. This diplomatic offensive aims to shore up Chinese investment and boost exports for Spanish capital, despite China already accounting for approximately 74% of Spain’s overall trade gap.
The southern European nation, the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy, requires Chinese critical raw materials, solar panels, and green technologies to fuel its transition away from fossil fuels, a need shared by other European countries. The visit, scheduled through Wednesday, includes meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and China’s top lawmaker, Zhao Leji, the third-ranking leader of its ruling Communist Party.
Alicia García-Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific at the French investment bank Natixis, characterized Sánchez’s repeated visits as an "increasingly one-sided and unbalanced relationship." García-Herrero further noted that this "repeated annual pilgrimage by Sánchez — his fourth in four (calendar) years — highlights" China's role as "a relatively soft, conciliatory partner" that advocates for dialogue over tougher European Union measures.
Imperialist Realignment
The Spanish state's pivot comes at a complex geopolitical moment, marked by European leaders' attempts to influence an end to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. Spain's relationship with the U.S. has been strained by Sánchez’s vocal disapproval of the Iran conflict, leading the Sánchez government to declare its airspace closed to U.S. planes being used in the Iran war and refusing the U.S. the use of jointly operated military bases in southern Spain.
On Monday, Sánchez urged China to assume a larger role in a multipolar world, speaking at Beijing’s Tsinghua University. He stated that "China can do more" by demanding "that international law be respected and that the conflicts in Lebanon, Iran, Gaza and the West Bank and Ukraine cease." Sánchez also called for China to "open up so that Europe doesn’t have to close itself off," and to collaborate on climate change, global health, responsible artificial intelligence, and nuclear weapons, noting that "the U.S. has decided to withdraw from many of these fronts."
Eric Sigmon, a Madrid-based political analyst and former U.S. national security adviser, observed that "Given the increased frictions with the U.S. administration, these annual meetings have taken on an increased importance." This strategic diversification of political relations with large powers, including Beijing, serves the long-term interests of Spanish capital accumulation and the state's role in securing resources and markets.
The Cost of Competition
The Spanish monarchy also signaled this shift in imperialist alliances, with King Felipe VI making an official visit to China last November, the first such visit in 18 years. This demonstrates the nation’s interest in bolstering its relationship with Beijing to secure economic advantage.
Previous attempts by the Spanish state to forge closer ties with China have drawn direct warnings from competing imperialist powers. Sánchez’s last visit to Beijing "ruffled feathers in Washington," prompting U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to warn Spain at the time about "cutting your own throat" after the Trump administration announced sweeping global tariffs.
Despite Spain's efforts to reposition trade relations, China's exports to Spain continue to vastly outweigh those from the Iberian nation of 49 million people to China's population of over 1.4 billion. This persistent trade imbalance, where China accounts for about 74% of Spain’s overall trade gap, underscores the challenges faced by Spanish capital in its pursuit of global markets and resources.
The state's diplomatic efforts are thus directed at managing these contradictions to secure resources and markets, ultimately protecting and expanding accumulated wealth for the ruling class, while the working class bears the costs of inter-imperialist rivalries and resource competition, including the ongoing conflicts that Sánchez nominally called to cease.