Upon his arrival in Beijing on Thursday for a two-day go to, China fiercely defended Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez following US criticism, saying Spain’s rapprochement with China is akin to “slicing one’s personal throat.”
China’s International Minister Jian Lian accused the US of “abusing tariffs to threaten and extort the entire world” and of making an attempt to “strangulate different international locations” to drive them to cede to their political intimidation.
Sad with Spain’s and the EU’s determination to strengthen ties with the Asian nation in gentle of Donald Trump’s commerce warfare, US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, who criticised Sanchez’s China go to, additionally mentioned: “Allying with Beijing is suicide.”
Sanchez has defended his go to to China as a strategic transfer aligned with EU targets, emphasising the necessity for world unity and multilateralism.
The Spanish Prime Minister is the primary EU chief to go to China since Trump launched after which reversed the tariff warfare in opposition to dozens of nations, apart from Beijing, which nonetheless faces 125 per cent duties on all its items headed for the US.
Additionally in China, International Minister Jose Manuel Albares famous: “China and India are key industrial companions for Europe. It’s important to keep up dialogue and develop a European commerce coverage that considers new allies.”
China has expressed a agency dedication to Spain. Jin Lian famous that bilateral commerce between the 2 nations surpassed $50 billion in 2024. He added that Spanish exports to China elevated by 4.3 per cent final yr.
The China-US commerce warfare
For now, following Trump’s 90-day tariff reprieve, the commerce warfare lies solely between the US and China.
Nonetheless, China’s Ministry of Commerce Press Secretary He Yongqian recommended doable negotiations.
“China’s place is obvious and coherent,” he mentioned. “If the US desires to open talks, our door all the time stays open. Nonetheless, these talks should be mutually respectful and useful.”
However he additionally warned the US: “If the US desires to combat, our response will likely be agency. Pressuring, threatening, and coercing shouldn’t be the right method to take care of China.”
Sanchez’s arrival in China follows his go to to Vietnam, the place he signed many agreements, together with boosting bilateral commerce to $8 billion yearly.