Chinese and Spanish leaders vow to ‘safeguard multilateralism’

The leaders met in Beijing

China's President Xi Jinping and Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Picture: Haruna Furuhashi/Pool Photo via AP.

The leaders of China and Spain have pledged to strengthen their relations and work to safeguard multilateralism at a time when the world is being affected by conflicts, during a meeting in Beijing.

“We should strengthen communication, consolidate mutual trust, cooperate closely, oppose the world’s retrogression to the law of the jungle, and jointly safeguard genuine multilateralism,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping during a reception for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at the Great Hall of the People.

Mr Sanchez agreed and said both countries “can contribute to finding solutions to the various trade tensions that exist, to the geopolitical difficulties and complexities of today’s world, to the wars, to the environmental and social challenges that afflict the world”.

Mr Sanchez is in China for his fourth trip in just over three years to the world’s second-largest economy.

Spain is looking to strengthen its political and commercial ties with Beijing, and the visit comes as Mr Sanchez faces a strained relationship with the US over his opposition to the war in Iran.