BEIJING, Nov. 12 -- China is willing to work with Spain to build a more strategically resilient and dynamic comprehensive strategic partnership with greater international influence, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.
Xi made the remarks when meeting with King Felipe VI of Spain, who is on a state visit to China, in Beijing. It marks King Felipe VI's first state visit to the country after his enthronement, and the first visit by a Spanish monarch to China in 18 years.
Welcoming King Felipe VI to China, Xi noted that both China and Spain boast profound historical and cultural heritages. Over the past more than 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have consistently approached and advanced their bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, Xi said.
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 added that both China and Spain have played a vital role in promoting global openness and cooperation, as well as upholding international fairness and justice.
Hailing the outstanding contributions made by the Spanish royal family to the development of China-Spain relations, Xi said that on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Spain comprehensive strategic partnership, King Felipe VI's state visit to China holds great significance in driving the continuous advancement of friendly 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 the momentum of high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic guidance, and ensure that bilateral relations always stay on the right track.
Calling on both sides to further advance pragmatic cooperation, he said China is willing to import more high-quality Spanish products, and tap the potential of cooperation in emerging fields such as new energy, digital economy and artificial intelligence.
He 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.
China and Spain should strengthen exchanges in the fields of culture and education and support each other in successfully running their respective cultural and language institutions in each other's countries, Xi said, adding that China will continue its visa-free policy for Spain to further facilitate people-to-people exchanges.
