Spain seeks China tech transfers
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, pressed for technology transfers from China during a Beijing visit, according to social reporting of the trip. The visit was framed as focused on securing Chinese tech cooperation for Spain. (x.com)
Pedro Sánchez went to Beijing seeking a tougher bargain for Chinese investment: more technology shared with Spanish firms, more local suppliers and more jobs in Spain. (bloomberg.com) Bloomberg reported that Spain and China planned to sign a “High Quality Investment Agreement” during Sánchez’s April 11-15, 2026 trip. People familiar with the talks said Madrid wanted Chinese projects in Spain to include technology transfers and regional job creation. (bloomberg.com) Sánchez is not starting from scratch. He visited China in March 2023, September 2024, April 2025 and again in April 2026, while China’s foreign ministry said this month’s trip included meetings with Xi Jinping, Li Qiang and Zhao Leji. (reuters.com) On his last Beijing trip, on April 11, 2025, Spain announced seven agreements with China covering exports, science, education and culture. Spain’s government said the two sides also adopted a new action plan with economy, trade, investment, science, technology, innovation and green development among its four main work areas. (lamoncloa.gob.es) Technology transfer is the core fight here. Spain wants Chinese capital to leave behind know-how inside Spanish companies, instead of limiting the local benefit to construction work, assembly or sales. (bloomberg.com) That demand lands in the middle of a wider European argument over China. The European Commission imposed definitive countervailing duties on battery electric vehicles from China in October 2024 after concluding that Chinese subsidies threatened injury to European producers. (trade.ec.europa.eu) The trade numbers have sharpened that debate. Eurostat said on April 10, 2026 that the European Union exported €199.6 billion in goods to China in 2025 and imported €559.4 billion, leaving a €359.8 billion deficit. (ec.europa.eu) Bloomberg reported Spain’s own trade deficit with China reached $36.1 billion in 2025. Sánchez has still argued for “balanced trade and investments” and said in Beijing in April 2025 that Spain sees China as “a partner of the European Union.” (bloomberg.com 1) (bloomberg.com 2) China has publicly framed the relationship in broader terms. After meeting Sánchez on April 11, 2025, Xi said China wanted more cooperation with Spain in new energy, high-tech manufacturing and smart cities, and Beijing described 2025 as the 20th anniversary of the countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership. (fmprc.gov.cn) Spanish officials say Chinese investment creates jobs and benefits the local economy, while Chinese officials have not publicly embraced the technology-transfer language attached to the 2026 talks. That gap is the point of Sánchez’s trip: Spain wants access not just to China’s money, but to the industrial know-how that comes with it. (bloomberg.com)
