Xi's visit to Spain to renew bilateral ties: Chinese Ambassador

Madrid [Spain], Nov 26(ANI): Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Spain from November 27 to 29 will open new avenues in the bilateral relations between the two countries, and enhance the China-EU relations amid rising unilateralism, Chinese Ambassador to Spain Lyu Fan has said.
Xinhua news agency reported that the three-day visit would mark the first official visit to the European country by a Chinese president in 13 years, with a vision to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields.
Lyu mentioned that the Chinese Premier would exchange views with Spanish leaders seeking further development in the China-Spain comprehensive strategic partnership and promote the docking of the development strategies in the framework of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The two sides will also conduct exchanges on both international and regional issues with common concern, and witness the signing of some cooperation agreements, Lyu added.
The important consensus that will be reached by the Chinese and the Spanish leaders will chart the course for future development of bilateral relations, Xinhua quoted the ambassador as saying.
Lyu noted that both China and Spain 'have a great interest in cooperation in the fields of aerospace, biomedicine, and others'. The freight train service between Yiwu in Chin and Spanish capital of Madrid put into service in November 2014, has become an important bridge of interconnectivity across the Eurasian continent, she added.
Investments from Chinese companies have rapidly increased in Spain in recent years, with a stock of more than USD 2.3 billion, covering sectors including energy, agriculture, finance, logistics, telecommunications, and infrastructure.
The bilateral trade volume has grown from 12 million dollars at the beginning of the establishment of diplomatic ties to over 30.9 billion dollars in 2017, Xinhua reported.
The two sides could deepen cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, 5G communications, smart city development, renewable energy, and education.
In addition to this, Xi's upcoming visit sends a clear signal that China, Spain, and the European Union (EU) will firmly safeguard multilateralism and a rules-based free trade system, Lyu added.(ANI)