Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) Following the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, China welcomed its first visiting foreign head of state. At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, King Felipe VI of Spain paid a state visit to China from November 10th to 13th.
This is Felipe VI's first state visit to China since ascending the throne, and also the first visit by a Spanish king to China in 18 years, making it of great significance. According to interviewed international affairs experts, Felipe VI's trip to China has three highlights:
Highlight 1: Spain's "Grand Slam" of Visits to China This Year
Felipe VI's visit marks Spain achieving a "grand slam" of visits to China within a year—following the head of government and the foreign minister, the head of state has now arrived as scheduled.
In April of this year, Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez visited China, achieving his third visit to China in three years; in October, Spanish Foreign Minister Álvarez visited China. Jin Ling, director of the Institute of Global Governance and International Organizations at the China Institute of International Studies, said that frequent high-level exchanges between China and Spain in recent years have demonstrated a stable development momentum in bilateral relations.
"The King represents Spain as a nation and society as a whole," said Cui Hongjian, professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University. He added that King Felipe VI's visit to China shows that Spain highly values strengthening dialogue and exchanges with China, a consensus shared not only at the governmental level but also at the national and societal levels.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Spain. Cui Hongjian believes that this visit at this special juncture is significant for Sino-Spanish relations, carrying forward past achievements and opening up new prospects. It will inject more stability into bilateral relations and set a good example for the development of Sino-European relations.
Highlight Two: First Stop Chengdu
King Felipe VI's first stop on his trip to China was Chengdu.
On the 11th, King Felipe VI attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the China-Spain Business Forum in Chengdu. It was reported that he also led a delegation to the Southwest Air Traffic Management Bureau of the Civil Aviation Administration of China and visited the air traffic control tower to learn about the modern air navigation services in Southwest China. Ding Chun, director of the Center for European Studies at Fudan University, stated that this demonstrates Spain's willingness to comprehensively and systematically promote exchanges and cooperation with China in areas such as trade, science and technology, culture, and regional cooperation.
Sichuan is one of the provinces in China with close ties to Spain. In 2022, the Spanish Consulate General in Chengdu officially opened, becoming Spain's third consular office in mainland China. In 2024, giant pandas "Jinxi" and "Zhuyu" arrived at the Madrid Zoo, becoming beloved by the local people. This April, a new air route was launched between Chengdu and Madrid, establishing an efficient channel for Sino-Spanish exchanges.
King Felipe VI expressed his willingness in Chengdu to promote closer cooperation between Spain and Sichuan, achieving mutually beneficial development and better benefiting the people of both regions.
Cui Hongjian believes that King Felipe VI's choice to visit other Chinese cities besides Beijing signifies that this visit transcends political interaction, also carrying the implication of promoting people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, reflecting the Spanish King's desire for a more comprehensive understanding of other Chinese cities.
Highlight Three: Exploring Cooperation Potential in Emerging Fields
Over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China-Spain cooperation has yielded fruitful results. China is Spain's largest trading partner outside the EU, while Spain is China's main trading partner within the EU. Currently, more than 400 Spanish companies have established branches in China, and Chinese brands such as Haier and Xiaomi are available in major department stores in Madrid.
During his meeting with King Felipe VI, Xi Jinping emphasized the need to further promote pragmatic cooperation. China is willing to import more high-quality Spanish products, explore cooperation potential in emerging fields such as new energy, the digital economy, and artificial intelligence, expand mutual investment, and create more landmark projects.
King Felipe VI also expressed his willingness to "strengthen cooperation with China in areas such as trade, industry, science and technology, and green energy."
Ding Chun stated that both China and Spain face the challenge of economic restructuring and upgrading, and there is broad scope for cooperation in emerging fields such as new energy and artificial intelligence.
Jin Ling believes that China and Spain have demonstrated a pragmatic spirit of cooperation. "Currently, there are discordant voices within the EU that politicize and overemphasize trade and economic issues; this pragmatic spirit is all the more valuable."
"The continued stable development of China-Spain relations will play a positive role in deepening China-EU cooperation and will also contribute more positive energy to upholding multilateralism and promoting world peace and development," said Ding Chun. (End)
