Martínez Belío: Spain must adapt, “without fear,” to the “unstoppable” rise of Asia in the world

Eduardo González The State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs, Diego Martinez Belío, asserted this Monday that Spain must adapt to the rise of Asia, and especially India and China, on the international scene, an "unstoppable historical process" that must be faced "without fear and with determination." “Right now, in the Government and the Ministry, we are immersed in the process of finalizing the New Foreign Strategy for the period 2025-2028” with the aim of “adapting to a more turbulent and competitive world than the one we have known in recent years, and which will likely be the new reality we will face in the coming years,” declared the State Secretary during the opening of the forum “New Balances of Power in Asia: The Role of China and India in the Global System,” organized by The Diplomat in Spain, Prestomedia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Embassies of India and China at the Casa Asia headquarters in Madrid. According to Martínez Belío, the world is facing “two fundamental cross-cutting shifts”: a first shift in the multilateral arena “to a more conflict-ridden world” and in the areas of economic efficiency, modernization, and resilience; and a second shift “of a geographical nature,” more far-reaching and “representing a systemic change.” Specifically, according to the State Secretary, this second shift is related to the growing global importance of Asia, a continent that is "over 50 percent" in terms of population and whose rise represents "a return to historical normality." "What was abnormal was the situation we have found ourselves in in recent decades, with the very significant economic and military dominance of the West, however you want to define that term," he stated. "This has changed and is returning to a historical normality of thousands of years, and therefore it is something to which we have to adapt," he warned. "This is the reality to which we, as public representatives, want to respond," Martínez Belío asserted. "There may be people who face this situation with fear, but that is not our case. We face this situation with determination to provide an effective response," he continued. "Spain looks much more to Asia, and we are not afraid either, because these are simply unstoppable historical processes," he asserted. “Decisions can be made that delay it by five, ten, twenty years, but, of course, what cannot be done is to stop it, and I think there is a certain sin of pride among those who are thinking along those lines,” he stated. In this context, the State Secretary explained that the Government is recovering “a deficit of visits to Asia that had been accumulating for years,” as demonstrated by the recent trips by the President of the Government Pedro Sánchez to China (three in three years), the first visit by a Spanish Prime Minister to Vietnam, and Sánchez's recent trips to South Korea, Japan, and, “for the first time in more than 15 years,” to India. This “essential adaptation,” he continued, “must involve an adaptation at the institutional level, and it is something we are already doing.” “In the latest reshuffle of the Ministry last year, we created a supplementary general directorate that allows the two largest countries in the world in terms of population, India and China, to have more specific monitoring, commensurate with their size and international importance,” and, in the coming months, “the Ministry will adopt a new Asia-Pacific strategy,” he explained. Beyond the bilateral sphere, the State Secretary continued, Spain intends, as “one of the first pillars of our new strategy,” to help strengthen the European Union's capabilities vis-à-vis Asia “in all areas.” “We want to play an active and influential role in affirming European positions, in an always constructive sense and with greater interaction and interconnection between our continents, as we have seen in recent years,” in order to “continue strengthening economic, human, and cultural ties with the most dynamic continent in the world, now and in the foreseeable future, and with those two great friendly countries: India and China,” he concluded. Ambassadors of China and India At the same event, the Chinese ambassador in Madrid, Yao Jing, celebrated the fact that Spain is "paying more attention to Asia and China," as evidenced by Sánchez's visits to his country. He asserted that Spain is "an important country, a major member of the EU that also has important connections with Latin America and Africa" and is playing "a responsible role in international affairs." In this regard, the ambassador highlighted his country's support for "consultation, negotiation, and friendly discussion" as ways to resolve international conflicts. According to Yao, the Chinese government's primary interest is to promote the development and well-being of its country, which, he asserted, could be "an opportunity" for other countries. This context, he asserted, provides "opportunities for economic collaboration" between Spain and China thanks to Spain's economic growth and strength in areas such as infrastructure. For his part, the Indian ambassador, Dinesh K. Patnaik, stated that Spain “was the European country that first looked to Asia” and, in fact, discovered America precisely when it was trying to reach India. “You have to look to Asia, you have been doing it, but you have to do it more,” he added. He also asserted that Western countries should not be “afraid” of Asia’s rise and warned that Asian countries, including India and China, “the most populous in the world,” should “learn” from the West so as “not to repeat the mistakes of the past,” referring to the numerous wars that have taken place in Europe. During the presentation of the event, Yago González, CEO of Prestomedia, stated that “India and China are two giants with a millennia-long history, profound thinking, and a vibrant present, two powers that, with their unique characteristics, not only shape global trade and digital evolution, but also the cultural and strategic narratives of the 21st century.” Therefore, he warned, "Spain, and Europe with it, has the responsibility and the opportunity to be a meeting point, a space where dialogue is possible, where ideas can be exchanged without imposition, where differences are not hidden but understood."

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