<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Ministers of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, and of Economy, Trade, and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, emphasized this Monday to the US Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, the importance of US-EU relations, which, they noted, represent "30% of global trade in goods and services."</strong></h4> Albares, Cuerpo, and the State Secretary and Director of the Office of Economic Affairs and G20 in the Presidency of the Government, Manuel de la Rocha, held a meeting this Monday at the Viana Palace, headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Madrid, with Scott Bessent and the US Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer. The meeting was held in parallel with the fourth round of trade negotiations between the United States and China, which began this Sunday and are scheduled to continue until Wednesday, September 17. During the meeting, according to official sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Spanish government emphasized "the importance of relations between the US and the EU, the largest in the world, representing 30% of global trade in goods and services." The two ministers also highlighted the desire of Pedro Sánchez's administration to strengthen existing ties with the US market, "which highlights the strong competitiveness of Spanish companies, which the government will continue to support in the context of tariffs," and reaffirmed Spain's commitment to the principles of cooperation and dialogue with allied countries like the US. Scott Bessent traveled to Madrid as part of a European tour that will continue in the United Kingdom. At the Santa Cruz Palace, Bessent met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng since Sunday to negotiate an agreement on tariffs, export controls, and the future of TikTok. This meeting follows the extension of the tariff truce last August until November, suspending new taxes and reducing previously imposed tariffs to 30% for Chinese goods and 10% for US goods. The Madrid meeting also aims to pave the way for a meeting between the presidents of both countries, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, who could meet at the end of October at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gwangju, South Korea. This is the fourth round of trade negotiations between the two major powers, following those held in Geneva, London, and Stockholm.
