Chinese President Xi Jinping presented Spain's King Felipe VI with a vision of cooperation with "great global influence", Reuters reports, News.bg reports.
Beijing is seeking Madrid's support within the EU in exchange for greater economic security for Spain.
Felipe is the first Spanish monarch to visit China in 18 years. Spain is seeking new investment from Beijing after US President Donald Trump threatened to make the country "pay twice as much" if it does not increase its contributions to NATO.
China also wants to quickly overcome trade frictions with the EU over its subsidized electric vehicle industry. In addition, tensions with the White House are weighing on Beijing's export-oriented economy, prompting Chinese companies to seek new trading hubs in regions such as Latin America and North Africa, areas where Spain has long-standing ties.
“The world needs more constructive forces dedicated to peace and development,” Xi said during the meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. He added that China is ready to work hand in hand with Spain to build a comprehensive strategic partnership that will make their relationship more stable, dynamic and influential on a global scale.
The president also discussed the possibility of Chinese and Spanish companies jointly exploring third markets, including Latin America.
Madrid recently presented a new foreign affairs program that envisages closer cooperation with Japan and South Korea on supply chain security, as well as deepening trade ties with China. However, rapprochement with Beijing carries political risks, as many EU countries remain wary of China over its support for Russia and state-subsidized industries.
King Felipe stressed the importance of subtle diplomacy, not tied to an elected government, in sensitive foreign policy relations. “The friendship between Spain and China is undoubtedly beneficial to both peoples and corresponds to the global vocation of both countries,” Felipe said.
After the meeting, Xi Jinping and Felipe led the signing of 10 agreements, including in the areas of food safety, phytosanitary standards, language education, space and astronomy.
Spain, Europe’s largest exporter of pork products, has been strained by trade tensions with China. In September, Beijing imposed a 62.4% tariff on EU pork products after the European Commission imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has since lobbied to remove the tariffs and promote the country as an investment destination for China.
Spain sells about $1.2 billion in pork products to China annually, accounting for roughly a fifth of the country's pork imports. Last week, China proposed resuming investment talks, frozen since 2021.