Analysis: What to expect from Spanish King Felipe VI's state visit to China?

The upcoming state visit to China by King Felipe VI of Spain carries special significance – it will be his inaugural trip to the country since ascending the throne, and the first China visit by a Spanish monarch in 18 years.

During the four-day visit, set to begin next Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and top legislator Zhao Leji will meet with the Spanish King separately to exchange views on bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest.

Spain, a key member of the European Union, is one of China's most important strategic partners in Europe. The King's visit coincides with the 20th anniversary of the China-Spain comprehensive strategic partnership.

A model partnership

Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1973, China and Spain have consistently maintained mutual respect and treated each other as equals, enduring the tests of a changing international landscape.

The two countries established the comprehensive strategic partnership in 2005. In 2018, President Xi paid a historic state visit to Spain, where he was welcomed by King Felipe VI with a grand ceremony at Plaza de la Armeria next to the royal palace in Madrid. During the visit, the two countries issued a joint statement on strengthening their comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era.

In April, during a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, President Xi emphasized the need to view and develop the bilateral relationship from a long-term and strategic perspective, with the goal of building a more strategically resilient and dynamic comprehensive strategic partnership.

The Spanish government has also signaled a long-term commitment to strengthening ties with China. According to Spanish media, its 2025-2028 Foreign Action Strategy released in May explicitly emphasizes deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership with China – underscoring that this is not a short-term political gesture, but a core component of Madrid's diplomatic roadmap for the next four years.

The upcoming visit by the Spanish King is of milestone importance, said Yao Jing, the Chinese ambassador to Spain, in a recent written interview with Xinhua.

Yao highlighted that bilateral relations have developed soundly and steadily under the personal guidance of the two heads of state, becoming a model for friendly coexistence between countries with different cultures and systems.

China and Spain have consistently maintained mutual understanding and support on issues of core interest, adhered to multilateralism and open cooperation and are committed to maintaining world peace and development, he added.

He noted that China appreciates the Spanish government's active and pragmatic China-friendly policy, which aligns with the prevailing trends of the era and serves the fundamental interests of Spain and its people.

Fruitful cooperation

In recent years, China and Spain have achieved fruitful cooperation across the board, including in economy, trade, science and technology, education, as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

China is Spain's largest trading partner outside the EU, while Spain is one of China's main trading partners within the EU. Bilateral trade volume surpassed $50 billion in 2024, marking a year-on-year increase of nearly 10 percent and representing a staggering growth of more than 2,500 times since the onset of the diplomatic relations.

Spanish exports, including industrial goods like machine tools and auto parts, as well as agricultural produce such as olive oil, wine, ham and dairy, have established a deep presence in the Chinese consumer market. Meanwhile, Chinese electric vehicles, home appliances and photovoltaic products are performing strongly in the Spanish market, injecting new momentum into Spain's green energy transition.

The China-Spain economic and trade relationship is highly complementary, dynamic and resilient, said Yao. He added Sanchez has actively promoted mutually beneficial cooperation, including in economic and trade sectors, during his three visits to China over the past three years.

The bilateral cultural and people-to-people ties continue to deepen: Spain currently hosts 10 Confucius Institutes and one Confucius Classroom promoting Chinese language and culture, while China is home to two Cervantes Institutes. The Spanish language has been included in the curriculum for China's ordinary high schools, while over 60,000 students are studying Chinese in Spain.

As Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning noted on Monday, through King Felipe VI's visit, China stands ready to work with Spain to cement traditional friendship, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, have closer people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and strengthen coordination on multilateral affairs.

The two countries are set to score more progress in the comprehensive strategic partnership so as to deliver more benefits for the two peoples and inject more stability and positive energy into a turbulent international landscape, Mao added.