The President of China, Xi Jinping, defended this Tuesday, during his meeting with the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, the need to preserve international law, which, as he warned, has been “seriously undermined” in the current context. In that sense, he stressed that both China and Spain are “on the right side of history” in the face of what he described as the “law of the jungle.”
The statements were made at the beginning of the meeting held in the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, on the occasion of Sánchez’s official visit to the Asian country. Xi has highlighted the coincidence of positions between both governments in relation to various international conflicts, including that of Iran.
For his part, the President of the Spanish Executive has shared a similar diagnosis, also regretting the weakening of international law and appealing to strengthen the multilateral system as a way to address global tensions. During the meeting, Xi Jinping expressed his satisfaction at meeting again with Sánchez, who has visited China four times in the last four years. The Chinese president recalled that in their first meeting, in 2023, he raised the need to build a bilateral relationship based on strategic determination, an objective that, as he noted, has been consolidated since then.
For Xi, in a “changing and turbulent” world, the international order has been “seriously undermined,” and he stressed that how a country treats international law and order reflects its conception of the world, order, values and responsibility. “Both China and Spain have principles and advocate for justice, and we are willing to be on the right side of history,” he stressed.
Xi said the two countries should strengthen communication, consolidate mutual trust, strengthen cooperation and reject the world’s return to “the law of the jungle”, jointly safeguard true multilateralism and defend global peace and development.”
In his response to Xi, Sánchez also recalled that this is his fourth visit to China and considered that this figure attests to the hospitality of the Chinese Government and the strength and stability of a bilateral relationship that he explained is now enhanced with the launch of a strategic dialogue between the two countries.
He defended his desire to renew the multilateral system so that it represents in a much more reliable and realistic way the current multipolar world and that it brings peace and stability to humanity. A peace and stability that he regretted are now undermined by the various conflicts that ravage the world and that he noted also partly explain his presence in China.
Willingness to strengthen relationships
“So that together,” he added, “Spain and China can contribute to providing solutions to the different trade tensions that exist and to the geopolitical difficulties and complexities of today’s world, to wars, to the environmental and social challenges that affect the world,” he added.
The goal is to work together to find ways to strengthen the multilateral system and international law, which Xi agreed is being repeatedly and very dangerously undermined and which he considered are more necessary than ever. He believed that the bilateral relationship should also serve to facilitate an even stronger bond between China and the European Union, as he noted that if both parties understand each other and cooperate, it will be for the benefit of their societies and the prosperity of the entire world.
“I want you to know,” he said, addressing Xi, “that Spain will rise to the historic challenge that is posed, that it will be brave, clear and predictable, and will always work for understanding between nations,” he guaranteed. Sánchez explained that the Spanish are a friendly and constructive people and that Spain is a country with a long history, stable, predictable and that he is convinced that only that spirit is what will lead to lasting peace.
Visit of the kings in November
The Chinese president recalled the visit last November of the kings of Spain to his country, highlighting that he then exchanged opinions with them and reached a consensus, and asked Sánchez to convey his greetings and best wishes to them.
Sánchez also conveyed a greeting from the kings to the Chinese president and stated that Don Felipe and Doña Letizia cherish that visit with great gratitude. After their meeting, the Chinese president offers a lunch to the head of the Spanish Government, which is also attended by his wife, Begoña Gómez, and the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares.
