China's Global Times reported that in Spain, moves to strengthen cooperation with China are prominent, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

Prime Minister Sánchez, in an interview on the 23rd, while acknowledging that the trade deficit is expanding across the EU, asserted that "the EU should firmly uphold its commitment to open trade," and emphasized that striving to reach agreements while managing differences of opinion with the Chinese government is "extremely important." Prime Minister Sánchez further cited trade negotiations conducted by the EU with Australia, India, and Mercosur (Southern Common Market) as examples, stating that "one of the EU's primary strengths is its willingness to open its economy and build bridges with other countries."

China's investment in Spain is increasing. Particularly prominent areas include automobiles, batteries, renewable energy, and logistics. Spain's Secretary of State for Commerce, Senovilla, recently stated that China is an "important ally" for Spain in strategic issues in several sectors, and emphasized that "there is absolutely no distrust, but a very important institutional relationship" between Spain and China.

According to reports in Spain, amid stagnant investment from the United States and the United Kingdom, the Spanish government is mobilizing "all administrative tools" and preparing to roll out a "red carpet prioritizing investment" for Chinese companies. This move is considered a shift in the economic sphere, specifically an attempt to strengthen ties with its largest trading partner, China.

For Spain, China has become the largest source of imports, replacing Germany. One of the factors accelerating this trend is electric vehicles (EVs), with Chinese-made EVs being highly popular among Spanish consumers due to their excellent performance and price competitiveness.

Spain is also accelerating its pace of cooperation with China in the fields of scientific research and universities. Spanish media reported that "as China holds the world's number one position in high-quality scientific research output, Spain does not want to be left behind." With legislative improvements made by the Spanish government, many universities in Spain have been able to strengthen cooperation with China and conduct scientific research with Chinese partners within China.

Mr. Iglesias and Mr. Esteban, senior researchers at Spain's Elcano Royal Institute, regarding Spain's efforts to strengthen its relationship with China, published a co-authored article arguing that "Spain's strengthened relationship with China is based on pragmatic assessment" and "Spain questions that discussions about China in Europe are limited to risk aversion."

The two gentlemen argued that China is not "a peripheral power that Europe can ignore," but "a cornerstone of global industrial production, a key participant in the green technology sector, and an indispensable cooperative partner for addressing various global challenges." They argued that "for Spain, the issue is not whether to engage with China, but how to develop exchanges," and asserted that by strengthening its own economy through cooperation with China, Europe can promote the realization of strategic autonomy in a broader range of fields.

Pan Deng, an executive at the China Western Returned Scholars Association, an organization for Chinese scholars who have studied abroad in Europe and America, established in China, expressed the view that "Prime Minister Sánchez's latest statement of position clearly explains that a pragmatic and rational voice regarding China indeed exists within the EU." According to Pan, there is a "tug-of-war" within the EU regarding China policy, with some member states advocating for the "securitization" of economic and trade issues and pushing for various restrictive measures, but Spain and others believe that confrontation with China is not consistent with the long-term interests of all parties, and therefore seek to resolve friction through dialogue and consultation.