In a stunning display of weakness, Spain’s leftist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is in Beijing this week pleading with China’s leaders to use their influence to end the ongoing war with Iran.
The conflict erupted in late February after U.S. and Israeli strikes targeted Iran’s nuclear and military sites. It has already claimed thousands of lives, wrecked economies, and triggered a fragile Pakistan-brokered ceasefire that’s now hanging by a thread after talks in Islamabad collapsed without a deal.
Sánchez, a vocal critic of strong American and Israeli action, has repeatedly slammed the campaign as “illegal” and a “big mistake” that ordinary people worldwide are paying for through higher energy prices and instability. His “No to war” mantra echoes old European pacifism that leaves allies to do the heavy lifting while threats like a nuclear-armed Iran grow unchecked.
Instead of backing Washington or working through NATO, the Spanish leader is turning to Xi Jinping’s regime for diplomatic salvation. This comes as China quietly profits from discounted Iranian oil and pushes its own multipolar agenda against U.S. leadership.
Conservatives have long warned that endless apologies, base denials to American forces, and outreach to adversaries only signal decline. Sánchez’s fourth trip to China in four years underscores a troubling shift: a NATO ally outsourcing security to Beijing while the West faces real enemies in the Middle East.
America’s resolve kept the Strait of Hormuz open and deterred worse escalation. Begging China won’t restore peace — it just advertises how fractured the old alliances have become. Strong leadership, not socialist hand-wringing, is what ends wars on America’s terms.
