Madrid prepares to host U.S.-China trade talks

Madrid is set to host high-level talks between the United States and China in the coming days, a development the Spanish government views as an opportunity to repair strained ties with Washington while consolidating its role as a European interlocutor with Beijing.

The meeting will bring together U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, with both sides choosing the Spanish capital as neutral ground for continuing discussions. A senior government source in Madrid said Spain would seize the chance to “reset” relations with President Donald Trump’s administration.

Tensions have flared in recent weeks after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced restrictions on Spanish ports and airspace for vessels and aircraft transporting weapons to Israel. Washington labelled the measures “deeply concerning,” warning they could hamper U.S. operations.

Despite these frictions, Spain has long been a strategic ally, hosting U.S. forces at Morón air base and Rota naval base under a 1953 defence pact. Analysts note that Washington relied on Spanish bases during its June bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, underscoring the durability of the relationship.

At the same time, Spain’s partnership with China has grown warmer. Sánchez has visited Beijing three times in as many years and recently shifted Spain’s stance on EU tariffs for Chinese electric vehicles from supportive to abstention, aligning Madrid closer to Beijing as it navigates Europe’s trade disputes.

José-Ignacio Torreblanca, senior adviser at the European Council on Foreign Relations in Madrid, said the talks give Spain a chance to raise its concerns directly with Bessent. “We do not yet know who requested it, whether it was the Chinese, but it is good for Spain,” he explained. “This gives Madrid an advantage in future negotiations with Washington.”

By hosting the talks, Spain positions itself as a key bridge between the West and China at a time of global uncertainty, and hopes to leverage the spotlight to rebalance its delicate transatlantic diplomacy.

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