The first vice president of the Government and Minister of Economy, Commerce and Business, Carlos Body, begins this week an official trip to the United States with a double mission: to strengthen economic ties with the main one in Spain and to strengthen the bilateral relationship in a context of growing political tension between Spain and the Donald Trump Administration.
The displacement occurs at a delicate moment in relations between both countries, marked by repeated warnings from Washington about possible counter partners that do not fully align with its international geopolitical strategy. Among them, the threat to European products, as well as pressures in the field of military cooperation, in a scenario in which Spain has defended its own positions on key foreign policy issues, such as its rejection of the war in Iran or the refusal to acquire the commitment to raise defense spending to 5% of the gross domestic product (GDP).
Body’s trip seeks to reinforce the economic channel as a means of stability in the transatlantic relationship. The agenda will start in Boston on Wednesday, where the Government plans to move forward with the opening of a new commercial office, which will be Spain’s eighth in the United States, thus consolidating its institutional network in the country.
Before leaving, the vice president will participate electronically in a business meeting organized by ICEX Spain Exportation and Investment, with the presence of executives from Spanish and American companies. Already in the United States, he will hold meetings with investors from ―such as the chemical industry, robotics, neurotechnology or technological solutions― with the aim of attracting new projects to Spain and reinforcing investment confidence at a time of global uncertainty.
The agenda also includes a meeting with the governor of Massachusetts, Maura Healey, in one of the states in the country that has established itself as a priority destination for the internationalization of Spanish companies. Currently, trade between this region and Spain is around 800 million dollars annually, according to a note distributed by the department.
The Minister of Economy, in what is his first trip to the United States since he occupies the first vice presidency of the Government, will close his time in Boston with a speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) together with the economist Daron Acemoglu, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2024, where he will address global economic challenges in a context of geopolitical fragmentation and growing trade tensions.
Subsequently, the vice president will travel to Washington to participate in the Spring Assemblies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. There, Spain will defend the strengthening of multilateralism and international financial stability in the face of a scenario marked by protectionist tendencies.
This will be Corps’ fourth trip to the United States in just over two years, reflecting the strategic weight of the bilateral economic relationship. However, on this occasion, the political component takes on a special role, since the Government seeks to preserve trade and investment ties in the midst of a diplomatic struggle that threatens to also spill over into the economic arena.
