Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is on an official visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, April 14, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday stressed the need for China and Spain to strengthen cooperation in fields including trade, new energy and intelligent economy, and to encourage exchanges in culture, education, scientific research and sports, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is on an official visit to China, his fourth in four years.

China and Spain should strengthen cooperation to oppose a return of the world to "the law of the jungle," Xi said. Noting the world today is in turmoil, confronted with the contest between the rule of law and the rule of power, Xi called on both China and Spain to jointly defend true multilateralism.

Chinese analysts emphasize that high-level diplomacy between Beijing and Madrid does far more than foster mutual goodwill - it injects vital certainty into an otherwise unpredictable international landscape. By forging a definitive model of mutually beneficial cooperation, the China-Spain partnership is sketching a constructive blueprint for broader China-European relations, in an era defined by geopolitical tremors.  

Intensive high-level exchanges

Xi noted that despite a shifting and turbulent international landscape, China and Spain have maintained a steady relationship, forging ties with strategic determination, and that an important lesson learned is the significance of making correct decisions based on common interests, Xinhua reported.

Facts have proved that deepening cooperation is in the interests of the two peoples, conforms to the overarching trend of the times, and enhances the strength and confidence of both sides in following a path of independence and self-reliance, Xi said.

He urged China and Spain to place the development of bilateral relations in an important position in their respective foreign policies and support each other's efforts to defend sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Sanchez said that Spain opposes a "new Cold War," decoupling and severing of supply chains, and supports Europe and China in enhancing communication, mutual understanding and cooperation, according to Xinhua. 

Spain highly values China's status as a major country, Sanchez said.

After the meeting, Sanchez posted on his official X account that the partnership between Spain and China has been further strengthened through this official visit. "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," the Spanish prime minister wrote.

Sanchez previously visited China in April 2025, September 2024 and March 2023, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. 

Apart from the prime minister's visit, King Felipe VI of Spain also paid a state visit to China in November 2025, his first to the country after his enthronement, and the first visit by a Spanish monarch to China in 18 years, per Xinhua.

Jiang Feng, a researcher at Shanghai International Studies University and president of the Shanghai Regional Studies Association, told the Global Times on Tuesday that frequent high-level exchanges between China and Spain anchor bilateral ties and are crucial for fostering positive mutual perceptions at strategic level. 

Dong Yifan, an associate researcher at the Institute of Country and Regional Studies at Beijing Language and Culture University, echoed Jiang's view, saying that Spain has stepped up communication with China on a wide range of strategic issues, further enhancing the stability and certainty of China-Spain relations.

Sanchez is on an official visit to China from April 11 to 15. He toured the Drum Tower and the Summer Palace, spoke at Tsinghua University, and visited China's tech giant Xiaomi. 

"Spain views China as a strategic partner, recognizing that China not only brings significant economic cooperation opportunities and benefits to Spain, but also acts as a strategic force advancing global stability and a sound international order," Jiang said.

A positive example

Sanchez's China visit not only carries strategic significance, but also sheds light on concrete cooperation fields, as his itinerary highlighted economic, trade and sci-tech cooperation.

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

After meeting with representatives from Chinese companies on Tuesday, Sanchez wrote on his official X account 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."

According to EFE, the investors Sanchez met were representatives from Changan Motors, SAIC Motors, Ming Yang Smart Energy Group, Hithium, Junan Yuneng New Energy Battery Material, DataCanvas, EHang, Gotion High-Tech, Tianqi Lithium and XPeng.

Jian Junbo, director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday that these enterprises are mostly concentrated in the new-energy vehicle (NEV) industry chain, new-energy equipment and intelligent technology sectors. It is believed that China and Spain will enjoy even broader cooperation opportunities in these fields in the future.

As an EU member state, Spain holds a pragmatic attitude toward cooperation with China, Jian said, adding that the win-win cooperation model built on equality and mutual benefit serves as a positive example for the stable and healthy development of overall China-EU economic and trade relations and provides a reference and inspiration for other European countries to engage with China. 

Ding Chun, director of the Center for European Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that China-Spain cooperation has exemplar effects for China-EU relations, which is of great importance amid global changes and turmoil.

Several international media outlets observed that Sanchez's visit coincided with growing chaos in the Middle East. For instance, AP said that Sanchez's visit "comes at a complex geopolitical moment as European leaders try to influence an end to the US-Israeli war in Iran." 

Addressing the press on Tuesday, Sanchez said that "Today, international law is being trampled upon, and not only that, but those of us who speak out against governments that are violating international law find ourselves, ironically and paradoxically, under threat from those very countries," CCTV reported. 

"Spain has maintained a consistent stance on foreign policy, and no one should take offense. "On the contrary, 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," Sanchez said.   

In a volatile global landscape, China and Spain issued a joint call for genuine multilateralism and warned against "the law of the jungle" in international relations, providing an anchor of stabilization and a clear direction in a turbulent world, Pan Deng, a professor with the China University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times on Tuesday.