Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at a press conference in Kunshan City, East China’s Jiangsu Province, on September 11, 2024. Photo: Huang Lanlan/GT

Spain needs to reconsider its position on EU’s proposed additional tariffs for Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday, amid his visit to China.

“Frankly, I think we need to reconsider - all of us, not only [EU] member states, but also the [European] Commission - our position toward this movement,” Sanchez said at a press conference being held on Wednesday at Kunshan City, East China’s Jiangsu Province, responding to a media question on whether Spain is reconsidering its position on proposed tariff expansion on Chinese electric vehicles. 

“As I said before, we don’t need another trade war,” Sanchez said. He noted that the Spanish side wants to play a constructive role in building bridges between the EU and China, and tries to find a solution and compromise between China and the EC.

Sanchez reiterated that trade wars are inappropriate and we must find a negotiation solution to help strengthen the bilateral relationship between China and the EU, which he believes is fundamental for both Chinese and European societies.

“I am grateful for the constructive attitude of the Chinese authorities,” he said.

Sanchez’s four-day visit to China from September 8 to 11, 2024 covered cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Kunshan. The Wednesday press conference was held at Kunshan Mondragon Industrial Park, an industrial and technological cluster where some Spanish companies are located.

Sanchez remarked that he noticed “the enormous growth potential between Spain and China.”
 
“This spirit of cooperation transcends the bilateral relationship between Spain and China, and reaches the European Union,” he said in Spanish.