King Felipe heads to China for more Spanish courtship

King Felipe will embark on the first state visit to China by a Spanish monarch in 18 years on Tuesday, as Spain seeks to deepen its ties with Beijing, positioning itself as the most proactive European Union country in courting China.

The four-day trip, timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of high-level diplomatic relations, aims to strengthen both business and political connections with China, especially as Spain's relations with the United States have become increasingly strained.

Accompanied by Foreign Minister José María Albares, Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo, Industry Secretary Jordi García Brustenga, and a delegation of Spanish business leaders, Felipe will spend Tuesday in Chengdu before heading to Beijing for a private dinner with President Xi Jinping.

On Wednesday, the King will meet Xi again, as well as Premier Li Qiang and top legislator Zhao Leji. Thursday will see Felipe attend a meeting with Spanish and Chinese business leaders and visit the factory of Spanish car parts manufacturer Gestamp near Beijing.

This visit follows three trips made by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in the past three years as part of Spain's strategy to rebalance trade relations, which have long favoured China.

In 2024, Spain imported €45 billion worth of goods from China, while exports to China were just €7.5 billion, according to Spain’s state trade agency ICEX.

China has reciprocated Spain's diplomatic efforts. In December, Madrid hosted the first overseas edition of the Imperial Springs International Forum (ISIF), a Chinese equivalent of the Davos World Economic Forum or Allen & Company’s Sun Valley Conference. This event was seen as a sign of China’s growing confidence in its relationship with Spain, which contrasts with the more cautious approach taken by other European nations due to trade imbalances, China’s ties with Russia, and its dominance in critical mineral supplies.

In November 2018, Xi made a state visit to Spain at the beginning of Sánchez’s tenure.

Closer ties between Spain and China have also benefited Spanish pork exporters, with sales to China rising 8% to €700 million in the first half of the year, while exports from Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States declined. Spain accounted for half of the 682,000 tonnes of pork sold to China during this period, according to the Spanish association of meat industries, Anice.

“The pork trade is shaped by geostrategic and geopolitical factors,” said Javier Briones, export director at Grupo Tello Alimentación.

"We are in China’s hands, but we couldn’t ask for a better ambassador than the King of Spain to defend our interests."

Investment boost

The strengthening relationship is also driving Chinese investments in Spain. Companies such as CATL, Envision, and Chery are establishing electric vehicle (EV) battery factories and car plants in Spain. Envision and Hygreen have committed to setting up electrolyser manufacturing plants, while three Chinese energy firms have signed deals to invest in a potassium mine in northeastern Spain.

Spain is also a strong contender to host Chinese carmaker BYD’s third European plant, as the company has rapidly expanded its dealership network in Spain without facing stiff competition from local carmakers.

The regional leaders of Catalonia and Andalucía have also visited China over the past year, further cementing ties.

The Spanish government's closer relations with China are seen as a strategic move to counterbalance deteriorating ties with the United States, according to Alicia García-Herrero, Senior Fellow at Bruegel. President Donald Trump has threatened sanctions against Spain for failing to meet NATO spending targets and for disagreements over Gaza.

"China could provide an alternative for greenfield and other investments," García-Herrero said. "It makes sense on the investment side, but it's very political—Spain is betting against Trump."

However, questions remain about the potential use of Huawei technology by Spanish ministries for handling sensitive data. A project between Spain’s digital transformation ministry and Telefonica to enhance fibre optic networks using Huawei technology was cancelled earlier this year over security concerns.

Copied