On November 11, Wang Xiaohui, Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of Sichuan Provincial People's Congress, and Shi Xiaolin, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Governor of the People's Government of Sichuan Province, met with King Felipe VI of Spain and members of his entouragein Chengdu.

Wang Xiaohui and Shi Xiaolin, representing the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and the People's Government of Sichuan Province, extended their welcome to King Felipe VI for his visit to Sichuan, and provided a brief introduction to the province's economic and social development progress. Noting that both China and Spain are ancient civilizations, Wang Xiaohui said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have maintained sound and steady development of bilateral relations, with fruitful results achieved in the exchanges and cooperation, thus writing a new chapter of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation between countries. At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, you are making your first state visit to China since ascending the throne, which also marks the first visit by a Spanish king to China in 18 years. We are profoundly encouraged by your decision to choose Sichuan as the first stop of your visit to China. This will undoubtedly elevate exchanges and cooperation between Sichuan and Spain across various sectors to new heights. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Spain comprehensive strategic partnership. Sichuan is among China's provinces with close interactions with Spain. We will earnestly implement the important consensus reached between you and President Xi Jinping, work to consolidate traditional friendship, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and enhance people-to-people exchanges, and advance collaboration between Sichuan and Spain in sister-city ties, economic and trade relations, industrial investment, and cultural tourism to deliver more concrete outcomes, thereby contributing to building a more strategically resilient and dynamic comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Spain.

King Felipe VI expressed his appreciation for the achievements Sichuan has made in economic and social development. He observed that in recent years, Spain and China have consistently adhered to mutual respect and friendly cooperation, maintaining positive and sound momentum in bilateral relations. Sichuan is an important province in western China that has maintained close exchanges with Spain. The two sides demonstrate strong complementarity and broad prospects for cooperation in economy and trade, industry, culture and people-to-people exchanges, among other sectors. We are willing to foster closer cooperation between Spain and Sichuan for mutual benefit and win-win results, ultimately delivering greater well-being to the peoples of both sides.

On the morning of November 11, the China-Spain Business Forum was held in Chengdu. King Felipe VI attended and addressed the opening ceremony. Shi Xiaolin, the Spanish Minister of Economy, Trade and Business Carlos Cuerpo Caballero, and Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Ren Hongbin attended the event and delivered addresses successively.

In his address, King Felipe VI noted that in a complex international landscape, it becomes all the more crucial to strengthen bilateral cooperation and inject greater confidence and stability into our economic and trade relations. Spain remains committed to building a transparent and predictable international system and to creating a stable investment environment that enables businesses to operate with confidence, thereby generating well-being for society. Spain and China established a comprehensive strategic partnership as early as 20 years ago. China is Spain's steadfast trading partner, and Spain is increasingly becoming an ideal investment destination for Chinese enterprises. We attach great importance to the long-term cooperation between the two countries and aspire to expand exchanges and collaboration from gastronomy to new energy vehicles, low-carbon development and many other fields, thereby further expanding the markets of both sides. It is hoped that enterprises from both countries will deepen collaboration and move forward in concert, translate more cooperative projects into tangible outcomes, continuously explore new areas and spaces for cooperation, join hands to create value in Spanish and EU markets, carry out more third-party cooperation, further deepen bilateral friendly relations, and collectively build a sustainable, resilient, and prosperous future.

In her address, Shi Xiaolin said that China and Spain were connected by the ancient overland Silk Road over 2,000 years ago. Sichuan and Spain have long maintained close and friendly relations. As the EU's fourth-largest economy, Spain possesses robust strengths in industries, including food and beverages, automotive, power, and chemicals, and is renowned as a "Tourism Kingdom". Sichuan is a major province in western China in terms of population, economy, resources, science and education, and agriculture, and is acclaimed as the "Land of Abundance". It is hoped that, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, we will enhance mutually beneficial cooperation in areas such as economic and trade interactions, scientific and technological innovation, high-end manufacturing, green energy, smart cities, and people-to-people exchanges, join hands to address challenges such as climate change, environmental governance, and food and energy security, and actively contribute to deepening the friendly relations between the two countries and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

In his address, Carlos Cuerpo Caballero stated that Spain and China are important friends and partners, and the bilateral trade has seen consistent growth in recent years, with China now standing as Spain's second-largest trading partner. Spain remains committed to maintaining bilateral and multilateral relations, and to building stable, sustainable and resilient economic and trade ties with China. Spain is accelerating the process of attracting foreign investment with a more open and competitive stance. We will create a favorable investment environment to enable full-fledged corporate cooperation and bilateral trade facilitation. Chinese enterprises are welcome to invest and thrive in Spain for shared development, thus contributing to achieving a more improved and resilient economic structural transformation. We aspire to strengthen cooperation with Sichuan in automotive manufacturing, bioscience, pharmaceuticals, finance and other sectors, elevating our friendly relations to new heights.

In his speech, Ren Hongbin said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China has become Spain's largest trading partner outside the EU. China will continue to firmly support the multilateral trading system and unswervingly advance high-standard opening up and provide enterprises from all countries with greater opportunities and greater certainty and stability in cooperation with China. We welcome Spanish institutions and enterprises to actively participate in the fourth China International Supply Chain Expo to jointly foster resilient and sustainable global industrial and supply chains. We also invite you to explore investment opportunities and establish operations in western China and in Sichuan Province. The CCPIT stands ready to work with Spanish institutions to build high-quality platforms and provide comprehensive services for the business communities of the two countries to enhance their mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation. We will jointly elevate bilateral economic and trade cooperation to a new level and help usher in a brighter and more prosperous future for China-Spain relations.

At the opening ceremony, José Luis Bonet, President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, Antonio Garamendi Lecanda, President of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations, and corporate representatives from companies like CATL and Inditex, shared insights and exchanged views on topics such as fostering long-term Spain-China business partnerships and advancing bilateral economic and trade relations.

Officials from Spanish government departments, Spanish business representatives, provincial leaders Chen Wei, Tian Qingying and Ren Jingdong, Chinese Ambassador to Spain Yao Jing, leading officials of relevant departments and bureaus of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant Sichuan provincial departments, as well as representatives from Chinese enterprises, among others, attended the meeting or the opening ceremony.