Sánchez travels to China next week to deepen political relations and attract “quality” investment

Eduardo González The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, will make his fourth trip to the People's Republic of China in four years from April 13 to 15, 2026. The main objectives of the trip will be to deepen bilateral political relations and those within the EU, to balance economic relations in terms of trade and investment, and to promote collaboration in education, culture, innovation, and science. According to sources at Moncloa Palace, Pedro Sánchez (who will be accompanied by his wife Begoña Gómez, for whom no parallel agenda is planned) will arrive in China this weekend, but the trip itself will begin on Monday, April 13, with a conference by the Prime Minister at Tsinghua University in Beijing, a meeting with international experts, and visits to the headquarters of the technology giant Xiaomi and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he will receive an honorary degree. The institutional part of the trip will take place on the second day, Tuesday, when Sánchez will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares. After starting the day with a meeting with Chinese investors at the Tregent Hotel, Pedro Sánchez will be received by the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, at the Great Hall of the People, where he will hold a working meeting and be honored with an official banquet. Around 1:30 p.m. in China (7:30 a.m. in Spain), Pedro Sánchez will hold a press conference at the Tregent Hotel. Next, the Prime Minister will meet with the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and will be received by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, with whom he will preside over a signing ceremony for bilateral agreements. The official visit will conclude on Wednesday, April 15, with separate meetings between the Prime Minister and a group of innovative companies, as well as with the President of the European Union-China Chamber of Commerce. Unlike previous occasions, Pedro Sánchez will not be accompanied by Spanish business leaders. Political objectives of the trip According to the aforementioned sources, the Prime Minister's trip has three main objectives: to deepen political relations, to balance economic relations in terms of trade and investment, and to promote collaboration in education, culture, innovation, and science. Regarding the first point, the trip comes at a particularly turbulent time, with open wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and a trade war between China and the United States which, although currently paused, has generated significant global tension. In this context, the Government's objective is to continue deepening the relationship with China, not only bilaterally, but also in Spain's capacity as an EU member state, with the desire to contribute to improving EU-China relations in the best possible terms. Furthermore, the Government is mindful that, although Madrid and Beijing's views do not always coincide regarding the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, both Pedro Sánchez and Xi Jinping have consistently emphasized the importance of upholding international law. Likewise, the aforementioned sources from Moncloa recalled that China intervened at the last minute to favor the current ceasefire agreement in the Middle East and vetoed a resolution on Hormuz in the UN Security Council because it defended the armed path to end the Iranian blockade in the Council. In this regard, José Manuel Albares stated this Wednesday on Radio Nacional de España that China "has been involved," albeit "discreetly," in the mediations that led to the ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran, and has demonstrated "a very clear position in defense of international law and a return to the negotiating table." Within this political objective, Pedro Sánchez will hold two meetings with Xi Jinping (both the formal meeting and the banquet) and with the Premier, Li Qiang, in both cases with the purpose of creating an institutional framework that allows managing, through a strategic dialogue, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, whose twentieth anniversary was celebrated last year. Economic objectives The main economic highlights of the trip will be Sánchez's meetings with Spanish and Chinese business leaders in the technology sector and with Chinese investors, who will be invited to make quality investments in Spain. Other key events include a visit to Xiaomi and a meeting with the president of the European Union-China Chamber of Commerce. Access to the Chinese market is a major concern and a key demand for Spain and the rest of the EU. The trade deficit with China has increased in recent years, both for Spain (exceeding €40 billion) and for the rest of the EU. Therefore, Sánchez's delegation will emphasize its efforts to increase access for Spanish products to Chinese agricultural markets and to boost exports of industrial goods, in a global context marked by tariff wars between China and the United States that have had significant repercussions for the countries of the European Union. The second important issue concerns Chinese investment in Spain. Sánchez and the rest of the delegation will meet with Chinese companies interested in investing in Spain and will address this issue with both investors and institutions. According to the aforementioned sources, Chinese investments, contrary to what is often said, are especially important because they generate added value and local employment in Spain itself, drive national value and supply chains, creating ecosystems in Spain, and promote innovative national technological development through partnerships. Indeed, another objective of this trip is to promote bilateral relations in technology and innovation, which includes a visit to Xiaomi's headquarters and the organization of an event with leading innovative companies to discuss the creation of alliances, consortia, or joint ventures between Spanish and Chinese companies for technological development. Finally, the third objective of the trip is to deepen bilateral relations in the areas of education, culture, innovation, and science. In this context, Pedro Sánchez and Li Qiang will preside over the signing of a series of agreements to strengthen education, the teaching of Spanish, cultural exchanges, and museum cooperation. Fourth visit This is 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 on that occasion, the Prime Minister discussed Beijing's twelve-point proposal to end the conflict in Ukraine with Xi Jinping. During the second visit, in September 2024, Sánchez advocated for a negotiated solution to the tariff crisis between China and the EU and presided over the signing of several bilateral agreements on digital trade, services, investment, and cultural cooperation. Finally, the third visit took place a year ago, in April 2025, and included the signing, with Li Qiang, of a new Action Plan to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries, precisely in the year of its twentieth anniversary. The Plan highlights four major areas of work: economy, trade and investment; agriculture and fisheries; science and technology, innovation and green development; and exchanges between societies in the areas of culture, education, sports, and tourism. The 2025 visit, which occurred amidst US President Donald Trump's tariff offensive, was harshly criticized by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who declared that "Spain must decide whether it wants to stand with Europe or with those who undermine its principles." The People's Party also criticized Sánchez's trip to Beijing.

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