[The Guardian] European Council- Sanchez: ‘China is a more reliable partner for the EU than the US’

The Spanish President Pedro Sanchez, present today in the European Council, explicitly stated to one of our journalists  that Spain deems China to be a more reliable ally than the U.S. After recent events in the U.S. and its unpredictable behavior towards its traditional allies in Europe, Spain seems to be ready to depart on a different course and pursue closer ties to China. 

How this ties in to the EU’s general desire for de-risking but not decoupling from China is problematic, however. Sanchez runs a big risk in agitating the biggest defence partner of the EU Member States, and while China may pose a more solid trading partner, it is hard to imagine it coming to the rescue if the U.S. fails to do so in case of military conflict.

President Trump will probably respond negatively to this news, even though he has repeatedly isolated the United States from Europe. Sanchez has made a big step in stating with such strongly-worded terms the new dynamics it foresees with the U.S. in the near future. China, on the other hand, will accept Spain as a new trading partner with open arms.

Within the European Council, it is unclear as of now how much support Spain can get. Hungary will probably make a good ally, as its China policy has long since been very positive towards European and Chinese cooperation. Other Member States were also not explicitly against further collaboration with China, as long as European values were respected, and working together entailed no security risks. 

The White House has not yet responded for comment on this development.