On the 13th, Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez began his visit to China and delivered a speech at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He emphasized that the international community should properly understand China and stop viewing China through world maps dating back more than 400 years to the era when Matteo Ricci came to China.
He stressed that Spain firmly embraces multilateralism and called on China to use its international influence to help end the wars in Iran and Ukraine.
This marks Sánchez’s fourth visit to China in four years (from the 13th to the 15th). The Spanish newspaper El Mundo commented that no other European leader has visited China so frequently, reflecting a political rapport between China and Spain. Recently, Sánchez has repeatedly opposed U.S. military action against Iran, making him the first European politician to openly challenge Trump on this issue. He has thus gained recognition from both Chinese officials and the public.
Sánchez was invited to give a speech at Tsinghua University, attracting a large audience of students and faculty. The 54-year-old European political star pointed out that the world map brought to China by Italian missionary Matteo Ricci in those days was Eurocentric, with Asia relegated to the margins—a perspective marked by apparent bias. Yet, over 400 years later, some people still view China and the world through the lens of that distorted map.
Sánchez stated that as the United States gradually withdraws from its leadership role in various fields, China should play a greater part in issues like climate change, security, and national defense. “China can play a more significant role. For example, as it is currently doing, China can encourage all parties to abide by international law and help bring an end to the conflicts in Lebanon, Iran, Gaza, the West Bank, and Ukraine.”