China willing to work with Spain to deepen mutual beneficial cooperation, says Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Beijing on March 31, 2023. PHOTO XINHUA BEIJING President Xi Jinping said that China is willing to work with Spain to take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as a new starting point and to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.

He made the remarks as he met with the visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Beijing on Friday afternoon.

He said that China will be willing to import more high-quality Spanish goods, and that it hopes that Spain will provide a fair and just business environment for Chinese enterprises.

He added that both nations should communicate closely within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the G 20, and that they should be close to each other.

Xi stressed that the development of China-European Union relations requires the EU to adhere to strategic autonomy, and both sides should jointly tackle global challenges.

He said that China is willing to engage with the EU and work for world peace and development, and that Spain is expected to play an active role in promoting China-EU dialogue and cooperation.

Sanchez said that Spain is willing to maintain candid communication and dialogue with China, deepen win-win cooperation and strengthen coordination on international and regional issues such as climate change.

He said that Spain will take over the rotating presidency of the EU later this year and will be committed to promoting EU-China dialogue and cooperation.

The two leaders exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis. Xi hopes that the parties concerned will build a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture through dialogue and consultation.

Premier Li Qiang also held talks with his Spanish counterpart, and said that China hopes to carry out cooperation in new energy and advanced materials with the European country.

After their meeting, Li and Sanchez witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents.