The upcoming meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Beijing will primarily focus on the fate of Ukraine, according to analysts. While the meeting is ostensibly to celebrate half a century of diplomatic relations between the two countries and discuss economic and trade ties, Spain’s upcoming presidency of the European Union and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine have thrust it into the spotlight as a possible diplomatic interlocutor. Sánchez has made it clear that he believes Ukraine should have the right to decide on any possible peace agreement with Russia, and that any peace talks must be based on respect for international order established by the United Nations.
China has been trying to act as a global mediator in the war between Russia and Ukraine, but its 12-point plan for resolving the crisis received a cool reception from Western leaders who claimed China lacked credibility and impartiality regarding Moscow. However, Sánchez has expressed his willingness to listen to China’s plan for peace, stating that China is a global actor and that it is important to see if all parties can put an end to the war and help Ukraine recover its territorial integrity.
Spain’s upcoming EU presidency has piqued China’s interest in seeing if Spain can play a role in securing a peace deal in Ukraine. Mario Esteban, a senior investigator on Asia at the Real Elcano Institute, said that Spain has spent a lot of time talking to China about Ukraine, and that Spain understands that China is an important diplomatic interlocutor for Ukraine. However, it remains to be seen if Spain can help to secure a peace deal. Ruth Ferrero, an expert in European relations at the University of Complutense in Madrid, believes that possible peace talks could come to fruition this summer.
Sánchez has been keen for Spain to play a greater role on the international stage since coming to power in 2018. With Brexit lessening Britain’s role in Europe and Italy voting for an unstable right-wing coalition government, Spain has assumed a more important role in Europe. Spain is also a staunch supporter of NATO and has had United States fighter jets based at two military bases in the south of the country for decades as part of a deal with Washington.
The Spanish prime minister will hold commercial meetings during the Boao Forum for Asia on the Chinese island of Hainan on Thursday before travelling to Beijing to meet Xi on Friday. All eyes will be on whether Spain can play a role in forging a peace deal in Ukraine, and whether China’s interest in seeing if Spain can play a role will come to fruition.