Chinese leader Xi Jinping (3rd L) and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (3rd
R) attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 14, 2026.Kyodo News/Haruna Furuhashi/Pool/Getty Images
Madrid’s alignment with Beijing during the Iran war, including blocking U.S. military access and echoing Chinese Communist Party (CCP) narratives, signals a strategic shift that risks undermining NATO unity and deepening Europe’s dependence on China.
Antonio Graceffo, Ph.D., is a China economy analyst who has spent more than 20 years in Asia. Graceffo is a graduate of the Shanghai University of Sport, holds an MBA from Shanghai Jiaotong University, and studied national security at American Military University.
