Xi Jinping on charm offensive in Europe with cooperation calls to Spain, France and Germany
- Chinese president celebrates relations with Spain as ‘best in history’
- In Germany, Vice-Premier Liu He calls for unity against protectionism
Beijing is stepping up efforts to strengthen ties to Europe, with China saying its relationship with Spain is the best in history and calling for greater cooperation with Germany and France.
Spain rolled out the red carpet for Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is seeking allies as trade clashes with Washington raise the temperature of international relations.
Heads of state Xi and King Felipe VI reviewed a guard of honour at the royal palace in Madrid on Wednesday, while Xi’s wife Peng Liyuan and Spain’s Queen Letizia watched the formalities from a podium.
In his meeting with the king on Tuesday, Xi said relations between China and Spain were the “best in history”.
“We should continue to support each other on the issues of core interests and big concerns,” Xi was quoted by state-run Xinhua as saying, suggesting more cooperation on trade, tourism and third-party markets under China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” framework.
The Chinese president will follow his two-day visit to Spain by flying to Argentina on Thursday for a G20 leaders’ summit the next day, and then visit Panama and Portugal until December 5.
In addition to Xi, other senior Chinese officials are stepping up engagement with Europe as China seeks to stabilise its external relations while it is locked in a trade war with the United States.
