As he met Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday, state news agency Xinhua said Xi had stressed the need for cooperation between the bloc and China in weathering Beijing's mounting trade war with Washington.

"China and Europe should fulfil their international responsibilities... and jointly resist unilateral bullying practices," Xi said.

This, he stressed, would not only "safeguard their own legitimate rights and interests, but also... safeguard international fairness and justice."

Sanchez, in turn, told a press conference following his meeting with Xi that tensions over trade should not impede cooperation between the European Union and China.

Spain buys about 45 billion euros ($49.1 billion) of goods every year from China, its fourth-largest trading partner, but sells around 7.4 billion euros' worth.

"Both Spain and Europe have a significant trade deficit with China that we must work to rectify," he admitted.

But, he said, "we must not let trade tensions stand in the way of the potential growth of the relationship between China and Spain and between China and the EU".

Sanchez's trip comes as the European Union rethinks its global trading relationships in the face of turmoil caused by the US import duties announced last week that have sent world markets into a tailspin.

The Socialist prime minister is on his third visit to China in just over two years.

Sanchez broke with the rest of the European Union on his last trip to China in September 2024, urging the bloc to reconsider plans to impose high tariffs on Chinese electric cars and calling for a "fair trade order".

The bloc argued that the tariffs were necessary to protect European producers from unfair competition from state-backed Chinese firms.

His visit to China follows a trip to Vietnam, where in Hanoi on Wednesday he and his counterpart Pham Minh Chinh signed a joint declaration aiming to elevate ties to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.