BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday stressed enhanced ties with Spain and called for strengthening “win-win cooperation”.
The spokeswoman of China’s Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, said that XI made the comments during a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
The president said China and Spain with a sense of responsibility call for mutual respect and win-win cooperation between countries and uphold free trade and multilateralism.
The Chinese leader went on to say the two nations will mark the 20th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership next year. Sanchez arrived in Beijing on Sunday for a four-day official trip.
“The two sides need to strengthen bilateral cooperation, expand multilateral collaboration, and further enrich this comprehensive strategic partnership,” said Xi.
Sanchez on Monday also met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing to discuss a range of issues, with a focus on “fair-trade order.”
The Spanish leader after meeting Li said Spain wishes to continue strengthening its ties with China in order to give full substance to our comprehensive strategic partnership.
“We want to build bridges to defend together a fair-trade order,” he said.
Trade volume between the two nations increased to $48.6 billion last year, as China became Spain’s biggest trading partner outside the EU.
Earlier, Sanchez addressed the Spain-China Business Advisory Council saying Spain wants to foster a balanced relationship, based on respect and reciprocity that benefits both nations.
