Could Spain’s ‘compliment sandwich’ approach to China work for the EU?

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s recent visit to Beijing illustrates ‘delicate equilibrium’, analyst says as others voice scepticism Sanchez pushed for closer ties with Beijing while raising concerns over a persistent bilateral trade deficit and the Ukraine war, an approach that analysts said could serve as a diplomatic template for Brussels amid its fraying relationship with Washington. According to Wang Hanyi, a research fellow at the Shanghai International Studies University, the Spanish leader “achieved a delicate equilibrium between high-level strategic rhetoric and pragmatic cooperation”. “The equilibrium provides a viable blueprint for European countries navigating their ties with China,” Wang said. However, some analysts have voiced scepticism, arguing that Spain’s “compliment sandwich” approach of pairing praise with pointed criticism was a tried-and-tested failed model that would do little to change Beijing’s behaviour on important issues.

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