President Xi meets King Felipe VI in Beijing, hails traditional friendship

President Xi Jinping said on Nov 12 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 Nov 10, came 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 has 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 ties 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 the visit by King Felipe VI 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 dialogue and ensure that relations always stay on right track.

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.

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

Statistics show that bilateral trade between China and Spain topped $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 cultural and educational exchanges, and support each other in the operation of cultural and language institutions in each other’s countries, Xi said. He added that China will continue its visa-free policy for Spain to facilitate people-to-people exchanges further.

During the talks, the Spanish king expressed his pleasure in visiting China, praising 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.

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

Spain highly appreciates the four major global initiatives put forward by Xi, and will work with China to uphold the international trade order and promote 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 Nov 12.

Contact the writers at jihaisheng@chinadaily.com.cn