2023-12-07 15:06:41
Spain and China celebrate this year half a century of diplomatic relations. Since March 9, 1973, the Spanish ambassador Pedro Cortina and his Chinese counterpart, Huang Zhen, gave way in Paris to a new institutional stage between both nationsSino-Spanish friendship, cooperation and collaboration have sustained, on the basis of respect, the search for common development.
The various state visits carried out by the Governments of Spain and China at the highest level Over the last 50 years they have reinforced a fruitful dialogue which had one of its milestones in 2005 with the signing of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to promote bilateral relations.
Both countries maintain intact their will to enrich your links and are currently exploring new synergies that allow advance together in strategic fields.
To commemorate the institutional, economic, social and cultural ties that unite both countries, Prensa Ibérica and El Periódico de España, from the Ibérica press group, organized together with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Spain a meeting under the title 50 years of history and a common future. China-Spain relations. The event, held at the Bertelsmann Space in Madridbrought together almost a hundred personalities from different sectors linked to the Asian country.
Yao Jingambassador of the People’s Republic of China in Spainanalyzed during his speech the value of the historical friendship between both countries and assured that “China is willing to be a good partner of Spain for common development”.
The ambassador defended that both parties must “plan relations from a strategic height and one long term perspectiveas well as strengthening the mutually beneficial cooperation, lean on matters of essential interest that affect the sovereignty, security and development of the two States and advance in the general direction of friendship, mutual trust and cooperation to build a bilateral relationship with strategic certainty”.
Yao Jing also noted that “China is Spain’s largest trading partner outside the European Union, and Spain is China’s fifth largest trading partner within the European Union.” In this sense, he announced that the Asian giant has the predisposition to “further expand your investment in Spain and increase the import of goods and services high quality”.
In terms of cooperation, the ambassador warned that “both China and Spain are promoters and beneficiaries of multilateralism and globalization“. He noted, in this regard, that “both parties have many common positions such as fight against global climate change and the mitigation of the situation in Palestine and Israel“.
Finally, Ambassador Yao Jing stated that “China is willing to work with all countries, including Spain, to build a world of lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, open, inclusive, beautiful and clean“.
Ainhoa Moll, deputy to the Presidency and editorial director of Iberian Pressstated that the relationship between Spain and China es “intense and fluid for a long time” and that, economically, “has grown significantly both in the implementation of Spanish companies in China as in the Chinese investments in strategic sectors of our country”. The management of the communication group valued the project of The Belt and Roadwhich he referred to as “a essential element in Chinese foreign policy that relies on the free trade, that seeks to improve communications between China and Europe and that represents for its people a global development strategy“.
He cultural exchange was another of the main issues that Ainhoa Moll referred to during her speech, who stressed that “both China and Spain have in their languages two great vehicles of culture and cohesion” and the Spanish be present in the high school academic program in China.
Moll also highlighted the need to have more “dialogue spaces“that are a reflection of” the friendship and mutual respect that are professed Two towns of singular personality that treasure an ancient history and display an extraordinary artistic and cultural heritage“.
Visas and tourism
The relationship between China and Spain has in the economy and business activity one of its main axes. As Ambassador Yao Jing announced during the meeting, the Chinese Government has recently launched a pilot initiative with which, from now until the end of 2024, Spanish citizens will not need a visa to travel to the Asian countryas long as your stay does not exceed fifteen days.
In the round table that included the meeting, Martha Whitepresident of CEOE Internationalpraised the Chinese initiative and pointed out that this type of visa measures They are “tremendously positive.” “They emit a signal and that builds trust“he indicated.
Blanco also commented on the importance of “work in unison“between different companies and sectors, and “that governments are able to transfer that work to the multilateral organizations“.
Miguel Sanzgeneral director of Institute of Turismo of Spain (Turespaña)agreed to point out that this measure represents “great news” that will “make it much easier for us Spaniards to go to China“.
Sanz reflected on the tourist links between both countries and maintained that today China and Spain are “on a honeymoon.” The representative of Turespaña stated that in a few years the Asian giant has become the first international tourism issuer in the world and that its visitors are those who have “a highest average expense of all those who visit Spain”.
Marta Montoro, manager of the Chinese Chairtook stock of the 50 years since the official beginning of China-Spain diplomatic relations: “We have gone through many stages and it is true that the friendship between China and Spain is there. Are two friendly countries and that is undeniable.”
Regarding visas, Montoro reported that until now there was a long delay in shipment and warned that this matter is “very transversal because it not only affects tourism, but also trade already the cultural and academic exchanges“.
“What China has just done with Spain and other countries It is very commendable and I think that a bilateral agreement in this regard would be very favorable for relations,” added the representative of the think tank.
Culture exchange
Within the framework of China-Spain Cultural and Tourist Year which is celebrated in 2023, the multidisciplinary artist David Catá has had the opportunity to be part of a cultural exchange between Spain and China. His stay for three weeks in the Asian country has allowed him learn about Chinese society, culture and traditions and, upon his return, the young Galician wanted capture your entire adventure through art. “Sometimes I had no words and I didn’t know how to express what I had experienced.“explained the artist, who admits that feels “lucky” for having been able to participate in this initiative. For him, he acknowledged, “the Chinese culture was really unknown and it was a very important opportunity to have contact with her.”
Conclusions
Marta Blanco assured that “there is a lot to work on.” “There is a lot of potential, China is an absolutely strategic country and we have to work from the public and the privatejointly, to improve relations,” added the CEOE director.
Miguel Sanz clarified that work is already underway to “increase Spain’s interest from China”. The objective of Turespaña is to ensure that large Chinese tourism companies “See Spain as a business opportunity and we have the possibility of put a spotlight on China in Spain“.
Marta Montoro considers that the Asian country “continues to be a great unknown” and, therefore, explained that from Cátedra China they work “to make China known “There is still a lot to learn about this country since the information that arrives does not always adjust to reality,” he added.
The artist David Catá related that one of the things that impacted him the most about his trip to China was “the light, the people and the happiness that is transmitted in its streets”. “It is evident China’s interest in showing its culture and establish ties,” he concluded.
On March 9, King Felipe VI and the President of China, Xi Jinping, exchanged congratulatory messages for this half-century of rapprochement that has allowed us to deepen friendship and cooperation.
Xi Jinping highlighted that a strategic partnership of reciprocal respect has been consolidated that seeks to improve the affinity between both peoples, while the Spanish monarch highlighted, in a letter, the “constant and fluid” development of the current friendly relationship.
Two weeks later, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, traveled to Beijing to meet, on an official visit, with the Chinese president in a cordial meeting that served to strengthen bilateral relations between Beijing and Madrid.
Sánchez highlighted, in the context of this fiftieth anniversary, that “the world has changed enormously in these five decades and we are facing an excellent opportunity to renew the ties that unite us.”
In 2005, with José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in Moncloa, Spain and China established the so-called Comprehensive Strategic Association and in 2018 this alliance was reinforced during the state visit that President Xi Jinping made to our country.
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