Exclusive | Coronavirus: Spain’s foreign minister hopes health crisis can lead to closer ties with Chinese medical equipment suppliers
- Arancha González Laya says the Covid-19 pandemic has brought into focus her country’s neglect for its health service
- She also hopes countries can work together on the development of a vaccine
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Arancha González Laya, who is a former top United Nations trade official, also cast light on how China might redefine its role in the global economy in the wake of the crisis.
“As China has a bigger place in the global economy and in global affairs, it feels it has a bigger stake and therefore it exercises bigger responsibilities,” she said.
“This is what I think could be one of the results of this crisis.”
“China is a bigger part of the world economy; what we need to make sure is that the world economy is a bigger part of the Chinese economy, because this is how we will be able to better manage this interdependence.”
The minister said she also hoped that European Union leaders could work together to tackle the economic implications of the health crisis on member states.