The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, greet each other
After the meeting, the minister confirmed that work on the construction of a new embassy building in Beijing will begin in 2026.
The visit to Hangzhou is part of the 20-year anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Spain and China, and the ministers took advantage of the meeting to review the bilateral relationship, with the aim of continuing to advance and deepen this strategic partnership. In particular, Albares announced two milestones that "will boost our presence and our relationship" with China.
More presence
In 2026, construction will begin on a new headquarters for the Embassy in Beijing, which will regroup all the offices of the different Spanish counsellors, the Consulate and the ambassador's residence, with a project costing more than €10 million.
Furthermore, the minister explained, "we have agreed to move forward and structure our relations even more, with the creation of a meeting at intergovernmental level" that raises our bilateral relations to the highest level.
Balanced relationships
Economic relations were also an important focus of the meeting. On the table are sectors of great importance and interest for Spain, such as pork, the agri-food sector, the automotive industry and renewable energies, in which Spanish companies still have room for improvement.
After a previous meeting with Spanish businessmen established in China, Albares asked his counterpart for reciprocity and balance in public tenders in terms of investment, and also in commercial matters.
International Campus
The visit to Hangzhou ended with the inauguration of the new international campus of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, the Beihang Valencia Polytechnic Institute (BVPI), the first Spanish university centre to offer on-site teaching abroad, with a planned capacity for 2,000 students and bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
This new campus, said Albares, "is a milestone in the relations between our two countries. It is a pioneering project that unites two university traditions of excellence, that of Beihang and that of the Universitat Politècnica de València, and which symbolises the best of the relationship between China and Spain", he said in his speech.
Non official translation