Visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks at a press conference in Beijing on April 14, 2026. Photo: VCG

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is on his fourth China visit in four years, on Tuesday stressed that Spain has maintained a consistent stance on foreign policy, and no one should take offense. "We must respect international law and uphold a rules-based international order in which the law of the strongest—and thus the law of the jungle—does not prevail," he said, China Central Television reported.

Today, international law is being trampled upon, and those who speak out against governments that violate the international law find ourselves, ironically and paradoxically, under threat from those violators, Sanchez said at a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, reaffirming that Spain has described the war unilaterally launched by the US and the Israel as a mistake and an illegal act from the very beginning.

Also on Tuesday, the Spanish prime minister posted on X that "In an increasingly uncertain world, Spain is committed to an EU-China relationship based on trust, dialogue, and stability. We must continue moving toward a multipolar order built on respect and pragmatism." 

After meeting with Chinese companies, he wrote in another X post that "On my fourth trip to China, I note that more and more Chinese companies are seeing Spain as an attractive destination for investment. We offer stability, predictability, and trust. Today in Beijing, I met with 10 major companies and conveyed to them that Spain is committed to projects that create local jobs, strengthen our productive capacity, and contribute to innovation and knowledge transfer."

Sanchez has delivered messages of cooperation and multilateralism repeatedly during this visit, and on Tuesday, according to Euronews, he defended China's role as a key player in international stability and the search for peace in the Middle East. 

"Spain is a profoundly pro-European country," he said, adding that it is possible to strengthen ties with Beijing while defending European interests and the international order, Euronews reported.

The previous day, Sanchez made a visit to Tsinghua University, where he acknowledged some issues in China-EU trade, but placed greater emphasis on the need for mutual understanding and cooperation between the two sides, according to media reports. 

"What is happening today is not a transfer of hegemony, but an increase in multipolarity - not only in power, but also in prosperity," he said, per reports. Interpreting reality in a zero-sum mindset is wrong and dangerous, because "it turns us into prisoners of the past and limits the possibilities that the future offers us," Sanchez said during his speech at Tsinghua University, according to Xinhua. 

China is destined to play an essential role in the future of the world, Xinhua quoted Sanchez as saying. He listed areas including fighting climate change, promoting global health, controlling the development of responsible artificial intelligence as well as nuclear weapons, according to Reuters. 

Global Times