The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, will convey to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, the need to respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine to guarantee a "stable and lasting" peace during his visit to Beijing next week invited by the Chinese president, an invitation that the Chief Executive wanted to value as it represents "international recognition" for Spain at a very complex time by "a first-rate global actor".
From Brussels, where he is participating this Thursday in the summit of leaders of the European Union, Sánchez thanked Xi Jinping for his invitation and stressed that when they meet he will explain that "it is the Ukrainians who must establish the conditions to start the dialogue" that allow peace.
For Sánchez, the visit to the Chinese capital on March 30 and 31 will be an opportunity to learn "first-hand" about Xi's position on peace in Ukraine and he stressed that he will take advantage of the interview to convey to him the importance of can "guarantee a stable and lasting peace", which, in his opinion, means "preserving international order, respecting the United Nations charter and respecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which is being violated by President Putin". On this point, the head of the Executive has emphasized that "it will be the Ukrainians themselves who will establish the conditions for the start of that peace dialogue that will have to take place."
The visit will take place days after the Chinese president's visit to Moscow, where he met with Vladimir Putin, and in which Xi Jinping insisted on offering himself as a mediator in the conflict.
At the same time, Sánchez wanted to assess as "very important" the "international recognition that Spain is being given at such a complex time of geopolitical difficulties like the ones we are experiencing".
Sánchez also pointed out that the visit to China will serve to strengthen bilateral relations when the 50th anniversary of those relations is being celebrated and at the same time it will be a good opportunity for the Government to "explain the objectives of the Spanish presidency of the European Union" in the second semester of this year.
The President of the Government already met for about forty minutes with Xi during the G-20 summit in Bali (Indonesia) and asked him to exert his influence "as a stabilizing power" for Russia to end the invasion of Ukraine. In that meeting, the Spanish president already conveyed his will to give "a boost" to Beijing's relations with the EU during the rotating presidency that Spain will exercise in the second half of 2023.
Before Sánchez spoke, the Minister of the Presidency, Relations with the Courts and Democratic Memory, Félix Bolaños, pointed out that both leaders will address a possible ceasefire and the role of mediation with Russia that Beijing is carrying out and has specified that the trip , in which the Government has been working for several weeks, will take place at the invitation of Xi and it is a clear example of the weight that the head of the Executive has in the world and Spain in international relations.
Along the same lines, the Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, congratulated himself on an invitation that, in his opinion, demonstrates the prominent role that Spain has in the international sphere in a critical situation due to the war in Ukraine. For Albares, that China invites the Spanish government "demonstrates the importance and international weight of Spain and its diplomacy", even more so when Sánchez is "about" to serve as rotating president of the European Council.
The Chinese government, for its part, considered this Thursday that relations with Spain "have been developing in a healthy way for some time." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stressed at the department's daily press conference that the leaders of both countries "maintain good exchanges and communication." "At the moment, there is no further information about the visit," Wang added.
