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.
Saudi Arabia’s air defences have intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone over the Riyadh region, according to the Saudi-led coalition fight...
Police were deployed across Paris on Saturday, as a curfew was set to take effect in the Republique and Chât...
A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said....
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education and living costs. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
A tenth-grade student was critically injured after a man attacked her with a chainsaw inside a classroom in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district. The girl suffered severe injuries to her head, neck and back, while a classmate who tried to protect her was also hurt.
Police were deployed across Paris on Saturday, as a curfew was set to take effect in the Republique and Châtelet-Les Halles areas from 11pm Saturday until 6am Sunday (1 November).
A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education and living costs. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, as a hostile group, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Thousands protested in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Saturday (31 October), demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over perceived corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government over a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment