Upon his arrival in Beijing on Thursday for a two-day visit, China fiercely defended Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez following US criticism, saying Spain’s rapprochement with China is akin to “cutting one’s own throat.”
China’s Foreign Minister Jian Lian accused the United States of “abusing tariffs to threaten and extort the whole world” and of trying to “strangulate other countries” to force them to cede to their political intimidation.
Unhappy with Spain’s and the EU’s decision to strengthen ties with the Asian country in light of Donald Trump’s trade war, US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, who criticised Sanchez’s China visit, also said: “Allying with Beijing is suicide.”
Sanchez has defended his visit to China as a strategic move aligned with EU goals, emphasising the need for global unity and multilateralism.
The Spanish Prime Minister is the first EU leader to visit China since Trump launched and then reversed the tariff war against dozens of countries, except for Beijing, which still faces 125 per cent duties on all its goods headed for the US.
Also in China, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares noted: “China and India are key commercial partners for Europe. It’s essential to maintain dialogue and develop a European trade policy that considers new allies.”
China has expressed a firm commitment to Spain. Jin Lian noted that bilateral trade between the two nations surpassed $50 billion in 2024. He added that Spanish exports to China increased by 4.3 per cent last year.
The China-US trade war
For now, following Trump’s 90-day tariff reprieve, the trade war lies solely between the US and China.
However, China’s Ministry of Commerce Press Secretary He Yongqian suggested possible negotiations.
“China’s position is clear and coherent,” he said. “If the US wants to open talks, our door always remains open. However, those talks need to be mutually respectful and beneficial.”
But he also warned the US: “If the United States wants to fight, our response will be firm. Pressuring, threatening, and coercing is not the proper way to deal with China.”
Sanchez’s arrival in China follows his visit to Vietnam, where he signed many agreements, including boosting bilateral trade to $8 billion yearly.
