50 years of ties with Spain seen as new starting point

President Xi Jinping said China is willing to work with Spain to take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as a new starting point and further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.

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

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

Both nations should communicate closely within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the G20, he added.

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.

China is willing to carry out comprehensive dialogue and cooperation with the EU and work for world peace and development, and Spain is expected to play an active role in promoting China-EU dialogue and cooperation, he added.

Sanchez said 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.

Spain will take over the rotating presidency of the EU later this year and will be committed to promoting EU-China dialogue and cooperation, he added.

The two leaders exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis. Xi said he 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.

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