Sánchez's moment of opportunity

1. Surprise. Pedro Sánchez has surprised everyone with a far-reaching—and therefore risky—gesture: his trip to China—via Vietnam—to meet with President Xi Jinping, in the midst of the crisis caused by the explosion of Trump's tariff delusions, in the umpteenth manifestation of his nihilistic impulses.

This is not the first time that the Spanish president has thrown people off balance with an unexpected initiative, seemingly against the grain. They say that the main virtue of a politician is seizing the moment of opportunity to create situations that break the rigid logic of political practice and open up spaces that seemed closed. In fact, Sánchez's career has been built on two such unexpected occasions. First, the challenge to the leadership, which had been removed from him (2016), after a return to Spain to the PSOE headquarters working on the foundations of a party in crisis, which led to the liquidation of the old socialist guard (2017) –still installed today in resentment, as can be seen in The Objective, spokesman for a left that has evolved towards the patriotic right. Second, the motion of censure that brought down Mariano Rajoy by surprise (2017) and brought him to the presidency of the government.

Now President Sánchez unsettles the right-thinking sectors, those who tend to adapt to those in power without taking risks or anticipating changes, with a three-hour conversation in Beijing with Xi Jinping, leader of a rising China that threatens the supremacy of a model in crisis – a new techno-caste has brought to power – he manages with his proverbial ego and the arrogance and permanent contradictions that emanate from it.

Unfortunately, in Europe the economic world – and a good part of the political world – is already appealing to adapt, even if it means covering their eyes so as not to see the insulting sexist exhibitionism of a president whose rise to power is an expression of the profound crisis that American democracy is experiencing. They don't even seem to want to watch a despot like Putin toy with Trump, teasing him while he claims they'll change the world together. And Xi Jinping, doing his own thing, is making headway.

2. Responsibility. Those who are in a hurry to condemn Sánchez should not rush so fast, because right now he has demonstrated a political sense that allows him to establish his own profile and play a role beyond simple friend-enemy divisions. The changes on the international scene are enormous. They can be addressed through clichés and by stoking fear: the specter of war seems to be beginning to fade, but the European Union itself has engaged in demagoguery—with its proverbial impotence—with the ridiculous initiative of the kits survival. But right now, there's no other way out than to seek channels of agreement between the major powers. And in this context, dialogue with China is essential to find the necessary balance to avoid conflict and to prevent everything from going to hell if Trump doesn't snap out of his delusions.

In an unpredictable economic framework, with the comings and goings of the American president and his gang, building a good relationship with someone who is on the way to becoming the world's leading power if the United States continues in disarray is a fundamental responsibility. And in this sense, Sánchez has scored points both in Europe and in Spain, despite some fanatics, like the American Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, saying that "getting closer to China would be like cutting your own throat." It's all of Europe that must take steps like those taken by President Sánchez. There is no longer a single shadow of power to protect itself under; there are many poles to contend with. Starting with China and the United States.

Clearly, Feijóo—who is a hardliner—has no other plan than to slander Sánchez. In his short-sighted view of things, all he can think of to say in the PP is that the elections won't be decided by international politics. Angela Merkel, who was right-wing, went to Beijing every year. The world is more than just each house. And it's about being there. And with gestures like this, Sánchez gains stature. And the PP remains a hometown. Remember when Aznar discovered international politics? They didn't do badly at all.