Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, March 30, 2023. /CFP
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is on an official visit to China from Sunday to Wednesday.
During the visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with Sanchez. Chinese Premier Li Qiang and top legislator Zhao Leji will also have separate meetings with him. The two sides will exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest.
Both sides will hold the China-Spain Forum, the China-Spain Business Advisory Council Meeting, and the China-Spain Business Forum, among others, during the visit.
China and Spain are comprehensive strategic partners. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties over half a century ago, the two countries have carried forward traditional friendship, deepened mutually beneficial and open cooperation, and maintained sound and steady growth of relations, which has benefited both sides, said Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after announcing Sanchez's visit.
China hopes that through this visit, the two sides will further advance bilateral relations, deepen mutual trust through high-level exchanges, address global challenges through high-quality cooperation, and add new dimensions to the China-Spain comprehensive strategic partnership, said Mao.
Sanchez last visited China in March 2023, when the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.
During a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing back then, Xi told Sanchez that China and Spain should plan bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, adhere to the fundamentals of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides, and support each other on issues concerning core interests, such as sovereignty, security and development.
The two countries should follow the general direction of friendship, mutual trust and cooperation in developing bilateral relations, Xi added.
The Chinese president said China is willing to import more quality Spanish goods and hopes that Spain will provide a fair and just business environment for Chinese companies. He expressed the hope that Spain would play a positive role in promoting dialogue and cooperation between China and the European Union.
Sanchez, on his part, told the Chinese president that Spain is willing to maintain candid communication and dialogue with China, constantly enhance mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, especially in areas such as electric vehicles (EVs), green energy and digital economy.
China has now become Spain's largest trading partner outside the EU. Bilateral trade between China and Spain expanded from $37.9 billion in 2020 to $48.6 billion in 2023, up about 28 percent, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).
Spain has participated in all of the six editions of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), an import fair that aims to facilitate global businesses to enter the Chinese market held in Shanghai every November since its inception in 2018, and the four editions of the China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE), a fair that focuses on showcasing consumer products from around the world to the Chinese market held annually in April in Haikou, south China, since 2021.
Leveraging the opportunities provided by the CIIE and the CICPE, a growing number of premium Spanish specialty agricultural products has found its way to Chinese dining tables, said He Yadong, spokesperson for MOFCOM, in February.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez delivers a speech following the signing of a joint venture agreement between Chinese carmaker Chery Automobile and Spanish group Ebro-EV Motors in Barcelona, Spain, April 19, 2024. /CFP
The Spanish prime minister's visit comes amid trade friction and disputes between China and the EU over tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. The EU began imposing provisional additional tariffs ranging from 17.4 percent to 37.6 percent on imports of Chinese EVs as of July 5, 2024, with a four-month period during which a final decision on definitive duties will be made.
In an August article published in Spanish media, Chinese Ambassador to Spain Yao Jing described the EU's move as a classic case of protectionism, and urged the EU to correct its mistakes and stop the politicization of economic and trade issues.
Chinese carmaker Chery Automobile and Spanish group Ebro-EV Motors in April launched a joint venture in Barcelona to develop EVs. The venture is projected to boost production capacity to 150,000 vehicles over the next five years and create over 1,000 local jobs, Yao said.
China hopes Spain will remain rational and open on relevant issues and play a constructive role in resolving differences between China and the EU through dialogue and negotiations, he said.
Looking ahead, China is ready to enhance industrial synergy with Spain, deepen practical cooperation in green industries, and ensure that the cooperation benefits both peoples and contributes more to global green transformation and climate change mitigation efforts, said the ambassador.