Xi and Sánchez say China and Spain should help safeguard multilateralism

BEIJING (AP) — The leaders of China and Spain on Tuesday pledged to strengthen their relations and work to safeguard multilateralism at a time when the world is being impacted by various conflicts, including the recent war in Iran, during a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday.

“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 Sánchez at the Great Hall of the People.

Sánchez 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.”

Sánchez 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 Sánchez faces a strained relationship with the U.S. over his opposition to the war in Iran.