Spain’s King Felipe VI met on Nov. 12 with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. This is the third major visit to China this year by high-level Spanish dignitaries, which began with a visit earlier in the year by Spain’s Prime Minister, followed with a visit by the Spanish Foreign Minister. In the meeting with King Felipe, President Xi Jinping praised the long relationship between China and Spain. The two countries have respected and supported each other, and helped each other succeed, setting a model of friendly coexistence and common development among countries with different historical and cultural backgrounds and social systems, Xi said.
He also praised the role of the Spanish royal family in promoting ties with China, now moving to their 20th anniversary, saying that the state visit of King Felipe VI to China holds great significance in driving the continuous advancement of friendly cooperation between the two countries. While no Spanish monarch has visited China in the last 18 years, Felipe, when heir to the throne, had visited China in 2000. Xi also said that the two countries should expand two-way investment, create more landmark projects, leverage their complementary strengths, and jointly explore third-party markets such as Latin America.
