SPAIN has distanced itself from a French-led effort to harden the European Union’s trade stance towards China, highlighting growing divisions within Europe over how to deal with Beijing.
The move comes despite Madrid having initially backed proposals aimed at strengthening EU trade defences against what many member states see as a flood of heavily subsidised Chinese imports threatening European industries.
According to reports, economy minister Carlos Cuerpo clarified on Thursday that Spain was not supporting the tougher line being promoted by France and several other EU countries.
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The development sees Spain effectively stepping back from a campaign designed to accelerate tariffs, anti-dumping measures and other protections against Chinese goods.
The apparent U-turn comes as prime minister Pedro Sanchez continues to pursue closer economic ties with China – a strategy that has increasingly set Spain apart from some of its European partners and drawn criticism from Washington.
France, Italy, the Netherlands and Lithuania have all pushed Brussels to act more aggressively against what they describe as unfair competition from Chinese manufacturers.
Their proposals include faster trade investigations and broader tariffs.
The debate reflects mounting concern within the EU over China’s growing trade surplus with Europe, which reached almost €360 billion last year.
European officials argue that state-backed Chinese companies are undercutting local producers in sectors ranging from electric vehicles and clean technology to steel and chemicals.
However, Spain has consistently advocated maintaining strong commercial relations with Beijing.
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Speaking earlier this year, Sanchez stressed that Europe must remain ‘open to trade’ and specifically highlighted the importance of strengthening ties with China alongside other major global partners.
China has become Spain’s largest trading partner outside the European Union, with bilateral trade continuing to grow and Chinese investment increasingly viewed by the Spanish government as an important source of economic opportunity.
Earlier this week, US Ambassador to Spain Benjamin Leon warned that Spain should be ‘very careful’ about deepening relations with China, particularly in sensitive sectors such as telecommunications, defence and data infrastructure.
He specifically raised concerns over Chinese technology companies gaining access to strategic areas of the Spanish economy.
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