Carlos Cuerpo will also travel to China soon, as will Pedro Sánchez

Eduardo González The Minister of Economy, Trade, and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, will travel to China soon to participate in the 30th meeting of the Spanish-Chinese Joint Economic and Industrial Commission, the bilateral forum for strengthening economic and trade relations between the two countries, as announced this Friday by the State Secretary for Trade, Amparo López Senovilla, during the closing of the 10th Spain-China Forum at the Royal Casino of Madrid. The announcement comes a day after the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, announced, during the opening of the same event, that the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, could make his fourth official trip to China in four years this year. “We are two friendly countries and partners in economic and commercial matters, as well as in other areas such as cultural and legal cooperation, and this is reflected in the growth of our trade exchanges and the intensification of cooperation between Chinese and Spanish companies in recent years,” stated the State Secretary. “Spain is committed to an economic and trade relationship with China based on rules, mutual benefit, and added value for our markets,” and this “requires working together,” continued López Senovilla, who emphasized that “China has now consolidated its position as Spain’s leading trading partner outside the European Union, and bilateral trade has increased twentyfold in the last thirty years.” She also cautioned that “the economic relationship between Spain, within the European Union, and China must move towards greater balance, avoiding excessive dependence and guaranteeing the effective protection of intellectual property rights, as well as ensuring fair competitive conditions for both parties.” “We are confident that resolving these issues will undoubtedly further strengthen our bilateral relationship,” she concluded. “In fact, our economic agenda doesn't stop this year, as we also plan to host a trip to China by Minister Cuerpo for the 30th meeting of the Joint Commission, a particularly significant milestone in our bilateral relationship,” she announced. Last November, during the King and Queen's state visit to Beijing, Carlos Cuerpo himself signed an agreement with the Chinese Minister of Commerce, Wang Wentao, to elevate the status of the Spanish-Chinese Joint Commission, establishing annual meetings that alternate between Spain and China, and holding them at the ministerial level. At the same closing ceremony of the 10th Forum, the Chinese Ambassador to Madrid, Yao Jing, affirmed that Beijing considers Spain “an important partner in political, economic, and cultural cooperation” and asserted that “all Chinese companies, like their Spanish counterparts, have a very strong desire to increase cooperation.” “We are willing to carry out technology transfers and to cooperate more on investments,” he added. Pedro Sánchez to China At the inauguration of the 10th Spain-China Forum (organized by the Spain-China Council Foundation and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Albares stated this Thursday that Spain is “working to establish a strategic dialogue mechanism at the ministerial level that will allow us to institutionalize our relationship with regular high-level contacts to provide political follow-up to the 2025-2028 Action Plan within the framework of the new Asia-Pacific strategy that Spain and its foreign policy adopted last December,” he affirmed. Furthermore, he announced, “a new high-level trip to China is planned for this year, presumably by the Prime Minister.” If it materializes, it would be Pedro Sánchez's fourth official visit to China in just four years. The first visit took place in March 2023, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, and addressed Beijing's twelve-point proposal to end the conflict in Ukraine. During his second visit, in September 2024, Sánchez advocated for a negotiated solution to the tariff crisis between China and the EU. Finally, during his third visit, in April 2025, Sánchez and Chinese Premier Li Qiang signed a new Action Plan to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries, precisely in the year of its twentieth anniversary.

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