Sánchez urges China to correct trade deficit: "Let it open up so that Europe does not have to close"

BarcelonaPedro Sánchez begins his trip to China with a plea for multilateralism. In an address early this morning (Catalan time) at Tsinghua University, one of the most prestigious in the Asian country, the Spanish president urged Beijing to balance the trade surplus with Spain and Europe and, amid full uncertainty about the future of the war in Iran, has called for greater involvement to stop the world's conflicts.

Sánchez has stated that Spain's trade deficit with China "is unsustainable" for both countries "in the medium and long term," according to the agency Efe's report, and has advocated for "China to open up so that Europe does not have to close itself." The socialist leader's speech comes after the trade deficit between Madrid and Beijing exceeded 42 billion euros in 2025 and as tariff disputes persist between the European Union and the Asian giant.

The Spanish president, however, has advocated for "correcting" this imbalance and for "jointly building a globalized, balanced economy that generates shared prosperity." The multipolarity that Spain "embraces," he added, requires "a more horizontal and fairer economy, in which there are no losing regions and others winning."

This is Sánchez's fourth trip to China in four years, where he will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and Prime Minister Li Qiang. Before these meetings, however, he has already made his demands to the Asian leaders public. Beyond the economic front, the head of the Spanish executive has also asked Beijing to be more demanding in ensuring that international law is respected and that wars such as those in Iran, Ukraine, Lebanon, or Palestine cease.

"China does a lot, and we celebrate it, but it can do more by demanding, as it does, that international law be respected and conflicts such as those in Iran, Lebanon, the West Bank, or Ukraine cease," he stressed, after negotiations between the United States and Iran to try to reach an agreement failed this weekend. "Without a united Europe, there can be no stable international order nor a prosperous future for humanity, just as there cannot be without the participation of this great country that is China," he said, concluding: "China is called to play an essential role in the future of the world."

Within the framework of his official agenda, and accompanied by his wife, Begoña Gómez, Sánchez has also received the honorary professorship from the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences with a speech in which he has called for continued increased collaboration in the scientific field between Spain and the Asian country.