New Delhi, April 15 -- The leaders of China and Spain on Tuesday pledged to work to safeguard multilateralism at a time of conflicts including the war in Iran, with Chinese President Xi Jinping saying the countries should "oppose the world's retrogression to the law of the jungle."

Xi said they should "jointly safeguard genuine multilateralism," strengthen communication and cooperate closely, during a reception for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at the Great Hall of the People.

Sanchez agreed and said China and Spain "can contribute to finding solutions to the various trade tensions that exist, to the geopolitical difficulties and complexities of today's world, to the wars, to the environmental and social challenges that afflict t...