Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has welcomed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Madrid.
The visit is to boost cooperation ties.
The visit is to boost cooperation ties.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Yes, we're live outside Tarzuela Royal Palace, the King's residence here in Madrid, where
00:06 Foreign Minister Wang Yi is set to meet with King Felipe VI.
00:11 This meeting comes after another meeting with the Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez that was
00:15 held in the government residence in Moncloa, closed door meeting there, and we will hear
00:22 more about what was said later.
00:25 Yesterday, Wang Yi arrived in the morning directly from the Munich Security Conference
00:30 in Cordoba in the south of Spain.
00:33 He met with his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Alvarez.
00:38 They talked about various issues, global and bilateral.
00:43 Wang Yi brought some great news for the Spanish economy, announcing that restrictions on beef
00:49 were to be lifted, that Spanish farmers can now sell their beef produce in China.
00:55 Those restrictions have been in place since the year 2000.
00:59 Alvarez called this "extraordinarily positive" for Spain's agriculture industry.
01:05 Joint trade between these two countries worth over $50 billion, but $40 billion of that
01:12 is Spain buying from China.
01:14 Spain buys more from China than it does from any other country.
01:18 So the country is keen to redress that issue, these beef announcements, part of that, of
01:24 course, Wang Yi also announced that there will be other concessions, other opening up
01:30 of the Chinese market in the cosmetic industry, for example, and in mutual investments, public
01:36 investments.
01:37 Now, last year, Pedro Sanchez visited China, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where
01:43 a deal was struck to allow some agri-food deals, Spanish almonds, Spanish persimmons,
01:49 for example, to be sold on the Chinese market.
01:53 So a willingness, definitely, on the Chinese side to try and address that balance.
01:58 Relations really between China and Spain at a high point after successful celebrations
02:04 of 50 years of official diplomatic relations last year.
02:09 Wang Yi also brought some good news in the shape of some giant pandas, a new couple ready
02:13 to arrive here in Madrid to replace a couple that's been here now for 15 years, Hua Zui
02:20 Ba and Bing Xin, ready to retire in the Chengdu Panda Center in China.
02:26 So this trip to Germany, Spain, and next, France, is also aimed at shoring up support
02:33 among countries central to the European Union.
02:36 Wang Yi talked a lot in Munich about avoiding protectionism.
02:40 After the meeting here with the King of Spain, Wang Yi will fly to France for the China-France
02:46 Strategic Dialogue, the first important visit between the two countries this year, according
02:51 to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
02:54 A very important year for China and France, 60 years of official celebrations, official
03:01 diplomatic relations being celebrated.
03:04 So aims there are to deepen strategic communication, advance practical cooperation, along with
03:10 fostering more people-to-people and cultural exchanges.