Vice Chairman of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the China-European Union Partnership, Liu Qibao, meets with former Spanish Prime Minister and Chairman of the GATE Center Advisory Council, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

Liu Qibao, Vice Chairman of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Chairman of the European Union-China Association (EUAC), met with José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, former Prime Minister of Spain and Chairman of the GATE Center Advisory Board, and his delegation.

Liu Qibao, Chairman, welcomed Zapatero’s visit to China, recognizing his efforts to enhance relations between China, Spain and Europe. He highlighted the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Spain last year as a milestone that opens up new opportunities to strengthen bilateral ties. China is willing to work closely with Spain to strengthen mutual support, intensify exchanges and cooperation, and explore areas of collaboration such as electric vehicles, green energy, education and tourism. These efforts seek to deepen the friendship between the two peoples and promote a comprehensive strategic partnership for greater development. Liu Qibao stressed that China views its relations with Europe from a strategic and long-term perspective, considering Europe as an essential pillar in its great power diplomacy and as a key partner on its path to modernization. He stressed that, in the absence of fundamental conflicts of interests and a volatile international situation, it is essential for China and the EU to focus on strengthening their partnership, advancing strategic cooperation and achieving significant progress that will benefit the peoples of both regions.

For his part, Zapatero affirmed that there are no fundamental conflicts of interests between Europe and China and that they share the common goal of promoting human progress and maintaining world peace. He stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation and dialogue between Europe and China as key elements to ensure lasting peace and stable development. He affirmed that Spain is a strong advocate of free trade and that both Europe and China should not only consolidate their political and economic ties, but also intensify exchanges in education, humanities and other sectors. In addition, he expressed the commitment of the Gate Center of Spain to continue to strengthen cooperation with the China-European Union Partnership to boost exchange and collaboration in areas such as green energy, digital economy, culture and education, between Spain and China and more broadly between Europe and China.

Yuan Mindao, Vice President of the National Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Song Jingwu, Vice President and Secretary General of the China-European Union Association, were present during the meeting. Also in attendance were Daniel Romero-Abreu Kaup, President of GATE Center and Daniel Zhang, Co-Chairman.