Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will travel to China next week at the official invitation of President Xi Jinping, as Beijing tries to promote itself as a mediator in the war in Ukraine, Reuters reports.

The invitation, addressed to Spain’s prime minister and first reported by El Pais on Wednesday, was later confirmed by Prime Minister Felix Bolaños in an interview with Cadena Ser radio station.

“The visit will take place next week. The weight that Spain and Pedro Sanchez have in the world is undeniable,” Bolaños said, adding that “China is playing a key role in mediating the war” in Ukraine.

President Xi Jinping has just finished a three-day visit to Moscow, where he said China’s position on the conflict is “unbiased”. Last month, Beijing unveiled a 12-point peace plan and called for a complete ceasefire.

Spain, a NATO member whose foreign policy is closely aligned with that of the United States, is a staunch ally of Ukraine and will take over the presidency of the Council of the European Union in July.

While in Kyiv, on the eve of the anniversary of the Russian invasion, Prime Minister Sanchez expressed “unconditional support” to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and supported the latter’s peace proposal, which includes the condition of restoring the territory of Ukraine to the situation before the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014.

Felix Bolaños also said that Prime Minister Sánchez’s visit to China will be important from a commercial and economic point of view, as Prime Minister Sánchez intends to hold meetings with the Asia-Pacific Forum and Spanish companies operating in China.

Sanchez is due to attend the Boao Forum for Asia – similar to the World Economic Forum held in Davos – in China’s Hainan province on March 30, before traveling to Beijing the next day to meet with President Xi Jinping.

The last bilateral talks between the two leaders took place in November 2022 during the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.