Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, met with president of the Spanish Congress of Deputies Meritxell Batet via video link Wednesday, with both sides vowing to strengthen congress exchanges.
Li said that the two sides should enhance political mutual trust and strengthen cooperation on connectivity, clean energy and e-commerce, drawing on each other's strengths and achieving win-win results.
China welcomes more Spanish companies to invest and do business in China, Li said, adding that both sides should step up people-to-people exchanges and cooperation on culture, sports and think tanks.
China and Spain should also uphold multilateralism, jointly safeguard the UN-centered international system, defend the international order based on international law, oppose unilateralism and protectionism, and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind, Li added.
50 years of friendship between Spain and China celebrated in Madrid
What to expect for Sino-Spanish relations? A round table titled "A look to the future" was held in Madrid to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Spain.
Bilateral trade has increased from $12 million in 1973 to about $48.4 billion in 2021. Furthermore, 6,000 Spanish companies trade with China, many of them with offices or investment in the country; 1 million Chinese tourists visited Spain each year before the COVID-19 pandemic; technological exchanges have grown exponentially; and exchanges of business visits have multiplied.
Political relations have been strengthened by mutual high-level visits, including the 1978 visit to China by King Juan Carlos of Spain, and President Xi Jinping's visit to Spain in 2018.
The participation of Spain and China in G20 summits, as well as the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the Boao Forum and many other multilateral institutions, has united the two nations in the attempt to improve global governance.
The two nations are ambitious in their friendship because of the great, untapped potential of bilateral cooperation. Spain can and must make important leaps in its relationship and dialogue with China.
On the afternoon of March 3, at the Great Hall of the People, President Xi Jinping met with three foreign leaders in succession - Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar, and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Why did these foreign leaders choose this time to come to Beijing? What did President Xi focus on in his meetings with them? What kind of message did the intensive meeting release? "Current Political News Eye" interprets it for you.
During the meeting more than four months ago, Prime Minister Sanchez said that China has always been a stabilizing force in the international order. A week ago, at a press conference after attending a meeting of the European Council, he said, "China is a global player, so obviously we have to listen to China."
From the perspective of geographical location, of the three foreign leaders who visited China this time, two are from Asia and one is from Europe. From the perspective of regional organizations, Malaysia and Singapore are ASEAN countries, and Spain is an EU country. From July this year, Spain will assume the rotating presidency of the European Union.
Whether it is China-Spain relations, China-Malaysia relations, and China-New Zealand relations, they all have strategic significance beyond the bilateral scope. During this meeting, President Xi Jinping and the leaders of the three countries talked about broader topics in addition to the friendship and cooperation between the two countries. 、
