China, Spain agree to advance partnership

陈小将

President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that China is willing to work with Spain to forge a comprehensive strategic partnership with greater strategic determination, dynamism and global influence, as he met with King Felipe VI of Spain, the first Spanish monarch to make a state visit to China in 18 years.

The four-day trip, which started on Monday, comes as the highlight of a series of high-level interactions between the two countries, following a visit in April by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who made three visits to China in the past three years.

Xi said that over the 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Spain have always viewed and developed bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, respected and supported each other, and contributed to each other's success.

This has set a model of pursuing amicable ties and common development by countries with different histories, cultures and social systems, Xi said.

The Chinese president stressed that the two countries have played an important role in promoting openness and cooperation in the world and in upholding international fairness and justice.

Xi lauded the remarkable contributions made by the Spanish royal family in developing China-Spain relations, and emphasized that King Felipe VI's visit is of great significance to the further advancement of the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Noting that China cherishes its traditional friendship with Spain and values Spain's unique role in international and regional affairs, Xi said both sides should further consolidate mutual support, maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic guidance, and ensure that bilateral relations always stay on the right track.

On practical cooperation, Xi said China is willing to import more quality products from Spain, explore the potential of cooperation in emerging areas, expand mutual investment, and build more signature projects.

Xi called on the two countries to leverage their complementary strengths and jointly explore third-party markets such as Latin America.

Statistics showed that bilateral trade volume between China and Spain exceeded $50 billion last year, while two-way investment surpassed $11 billion. China is Spain's largest trading partner outside the European Union, while Spain is one of China's key trading partners within the EU.

China and Spain should enhance exchanges in culture and education, and support each other in the operation of cultural and language institutions in each other's country, Xi said, adding that China will continue its visa-free policy for Spain to further facilitate people-to-people exchanges.

Xi explained his vision on building a community with a shared future for humanity, saying he hopes that countries could rise above differences in social systems and ideologies, build consensus through dialogue and consultation, and work together to turn the aspirations of people around the world for a better life into reality.

During the talks, the Spanish king expressed his pleasure in visiting China and praised the long-standing friendship and mutual trust between the two countries, as well as China's remarkable achievements in poverty alleviation and green development.

He acknowledged the role of Chinese investment in fueling Spain's economic growth and green transition, and expressed Spain's willingness to strengthen its cooperation with China in the areas of economy, trade, technology and renewable energy.

He said Spain and China share highly similar philosophies on many international affairs, and both support multilateralism and the settlement of disputes through dialogue and consultation.

Spain highly appreciates the four major global initiatives put forward by Xi, and is going to work with China to respond to uncertainties in the international situation with a view to upholding international trade order and promoting the steady development of the global economy, he said.

Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of 10 cooperation documents in areas including the economy and trade, science and technology, and education.

Premier Li Qiang and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Zhao Leji also met separately with King Felipe VI on Wednesday.

Before traveling to Beijing, King Felipe VI visited Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, where he attended a business forum on Tuesday.