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Pedro Sánchez (front row, 3rd left) on New York's Fifth Avenue on Wednesday with his entourage.
Spanish PM steps out stateside to woo business leaders and investors

Spanish PM steps out stateside to woo business leaders and investors

The whistlestop trip has been controversial as Pedro Sánchez did not meet with President Biden in Washington as other world leaders have

SUR

Friday, 23 July 2021, 10:04

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The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, was on a charm offensive in the United States this week in a bid to woo business leaders and investors, promoting the benefits of investing in Spain.

On his first day on Wednesday, Sánchez held meetings in New York and appeared on US television before moving on to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

However, the visit was not without controversy even before it had started, as no meeting was scheduled with President Joe Biden in Washington. Commentators pointed out that Biden has received several world leaders since coming to power, although the Spanish government said there is a good relationship with America and Biden is focused on the Covid-19 pandemic and has little time.

Travelling with Sánchez were heads of five Spanish start-up companies and the emphasis on the whistlestop trip was on innovation, new technology and the future, green economy.

While in New York, Sánchez met with former city mayor and TV mogul, Michael Bloomberg, but not outgoing mayor Bill de Blasio. He also had talks with head of investment giant BlackRock, Larry Fink, and opened a Spanish trade and investment office in the iconic Chrysler building.

Stability and certainty

Speaking to the media, Sánchez said he had promised investors that Spain has "stability" and "certainty", reassuring them he is a politician that achieves things, passing laws, reforming and, with their help, bringing in investment.

Appearing on news-channel MSNBC's Morning Joe programme, Sánchez strayed into American domestic politics, unusually for a visiting world leader. "I think that when President Biden says that America is back, that is good news not just for you but for us as well," he said.

On Thursday, Sánchez flew to Los Angeles and was to visit the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where Spain helped make parts for exploration vehicles that went to Mars.

On Friday, the last day of his tour, he was due to be in the San Francisco area for meetings, including with Netflix and Apple.

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