PRESIDENT Xi Jinping on Wednesday welcomed King Felipe who is on a state visit to China- his first since ascending to the Spanish throne in 2014.
Xi held an official welcoming ceremony for Felipe and Queen Letizia in Beijing.
The monarch began his four-day visit on Monday, arriving first in Chengdu, the capital of southwestern Sichuan province.
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During their meeting, President Xi and King Felipe witnessed the signing of several cooperation agreements aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.
China is Spain’s largest trading partner outside the EU, with bilateral trade reaching $48.6 billion in recent years.
In June, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Madrid, calling for open markets and cooperation to prevent a global trade war.
“The world needs more constructive forces dedicated to peace and development,” Xi told Felipe during their meeting in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.
“China stands ready to work hand-in-hand with Spain to build a comprehensive strategic partnership,” Xi said, adding that their relationship would be more strategically steady, dynamic and globally influential.
Xi also raised the prospect of Chinese and Spanish firms ‘jointly exploring third markets such as Latin America’, Chinese state media reported.
King Felipe said: “The friendship between Spain and China undoubtedly benefits both peoples and is consistent with two countries with a long history and a global vocation.”
“A relationship of trust has been forged,” he added.
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Bilateral trade of $46.8 billion in recent years. In whose favour, I wonder! The Chinese are experts at negotiating these types if arrangements which over time favour them more than the counterpart.