The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has advocated this Monday for greater collaboration with China in a “complex” international context, statements he made during his speech at the opening ceremony of the ninth edition of the Spain-China Council Foundation Forum held in Beijing.
“In Europe we are immersed, unfortunately, in the third year of the war of aggression unleashed by Russia against Ukraine. In the Middle East there is an escalation of tension and violence of unprecedented intensity. And meanwhile, global challenges such as the climate emergency, digital transformation or the fight against inequality are taking on new dimensions. (…) And the best response to this complex context is more dialogue and more exchange of ideas. Spain and China maintain strong ties,” said Sánchez.
In this sense, he recalled that last year, within the framework of his official visit to the Asian giant, a “new boost was given to cooperation” between both nations, especially in the agri-food, tourism and cultural sectors.
“Even in those matters where our positions do not fully coincide, we maintain a constructive willingness to dialogue. We are committed to developing a positive agenda and seeking consensual solutions that benefit all parties,” he added.
The Spanish president has asserted that current diplomacy “is not only a matter for governments,” but must also involve companies, cities, regions, universities, think tanks, foundations and the entire population, so as to foster a “valuable” exchange of ideas and dialogue.
In this way, he has advocated the signing of more brotherhood and collaboration agreements between Chinese and Spanish cities, in line with the “local and regional cooperation” that “uniquely structures relations” between the two countries.
Sánchez also highlighted “green innovation” as one of the main areas of collaboration between Beijing and Madrid, which are committed to “a transition towards green energy sources”, the protection of biodiversity and the prevention of environmental pollution as a way of addressing “one of the great causes of our time” such as climate change, and which will lead both parties to sign a joint declaration and an agreement on the matter.
After this, he highlighted the cultural rapprochement after a “milestone of great symbolic value” such as the inauguration of a headquarters of the Cervantes Institute in the city of Shanghai.
The two nations will also cooperate in the field of architecture through the Spanish Architecture Biennial, which will be inaugurated at Tongji University, with which an international exhibition on Chinese architecture will also be held.
“And tourism is finally bringing us closer. Against the most gloomy forecasts, not only have we had the opportunity to see tourism, but we have had the opportunity to see tourism. We have been recovering the levels prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, I insist, much earlier than some predicted. In addition to consolidating the current trend in the first quarter, at the end of this year we are going to exceed those figures,” said Sánchez.
Regarding this sector, the president has asserted that they must continue to improve air connectivity to promote tourism for citizens of both countries, and has highlighted the inclusion of Spain in China’s visa exemption policy for tourists.
“In short, a panorama full of opportunities is opening up before us, it is about having the ambition and the courage to take advantage of them. I invite you to do so from this Spain-China forum as what is really a decisive actor that contributes to mutual understanding and knowledge between the two great countries,” he concluded.
