BERLIN — Spain is withdrawing its support from a French-led initiative to boost the EU’s trade defenses against China, its economy and trade minister said on Thursday.

“There was no specific political support of any non-paper at this stage,” Carlos Cuerpo said in Berlin.

The minister’s comments mark a reversal of Madrid’s perceived position on tougher trade measures targeting Beijing.

Last Friday, Spain was among the large economies who signed onto a French position paper sent to the European Commission that called for the bloc to bolster its trade defenses, make greater use of its investigative capacities and potentially create a new tool to address market distortions.

But as first reported by POLITICO, within a few days Madrid appeared to get cold feet and began insisting the document, which was additionally co-signed by Italy, the Netherlands and Lithuania, had only been discussed at the technical level.

Spain is often seen as one of the most China-friendly EU members. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has visited Beijing four times in as many years, and the country is among the most receptive to Chinese investment, particularly in the solar panel and automotive sectors.

The new line from Madrid comes on the eve of a highly anticipated debate among European commissioners that seeks to kick off a rethink of the EU’s ties with China and to suggest measures to protect the bloc’s industries, which are being squeezed by a flood of ultra-competitive Chinese exports.

Cuerpo on Thursday called for greater engagement with Beijing.

“We understand that the EU needs to step up, and that means that we need to talk, from equal to equal, on an equal footing with China and the U.S.,” he said in response to a question from POLITICO on the margins of a meeting of ministerial colleagues from the EU’s six largest economies — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Poland. “We need to engage with the Chinese authorities.”

Madrid’s quick reversal underscores the complexity of forging a common stance on China within the EU. France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Lithuania have broadly advocated taking a tougher line on Beijing, but countries maintaining warmer ties with China — among them, the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia — are wary of adopting a more confrontational approach.

“We need to try, through this engagement, to close the bilateral imbalance, each bilateral imbalance that we have, with China in terms of trade,” Cuerpo said. “Also, we need to engage with China and its companies when it comes to our full economic security agenda and the attraction of Chinese investment on how to make the most of it in terms of producing value added to our continent.”

Gregorio Sorgi reported from Berlin and Camille Gijs reported from Brussels.