King Felipe VI and King Letizia have already arrived in Beijing, the second stage of their first state visit to China, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, with whom they seek to further deepen bilateral relations that have gained particular momentum in recent years, with frequent exchange of visits.
Don Felipe and Doña Letizia arrived from Chengdu, where their visit began on Tuesday. Although the usual thing for official visits is to start in the capital, agenda reasons on this occasion prompted the two governments to do it in the opposite direction. They were received at the airport by Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Although the institutional visit itself will not begin until Wednesday, Xi and First Lady Peng Liyuan wanted to host a private dinner for the royalty on Tuesday. In addition, during their stay in the Chinese capital, Felipe VI and Letizia will stay at the Diaoyutai Guest House, which traditionally welcomes dignitaries visiting China.
The reception with honors is scheduled to take place early Wednesday next to the Grand Palace of the People, after which the meeting between Felipe VI and Xi Jinping will take place and after which several agreements will be signed between the two governments of an economic, cultural and scientific nature.
Felipe VI will be accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister José Manuel Albarez, who missed the first day of the state trip after traveling to London on Monday to meet his British counterpart, as well as Economy Minister Carlos Budde.
The importance of visiting China
It is not common for the Asian giant to receive visits from heads of state, something that has not happened in the case of Spain since 2007 even with Juan Carlos I and Sofia, which is why this trip is especially appreciated in Beijing.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said a few days ago that the visit was of “great importance,” and defended that it would contribute to consolidating “friendship” between the two countries and advancing issues of common concern.
Diplomatic sources say that Spain wants to have a relationship with China that befits a country that is “central in international relations” as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and the second largest economy in the world, and is expected to be the first very soon.
Evidence of Xi’s interest in entertaining his guests is that, in addition to a private dinner, a gala dinner in his honor is also scheduled at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday evening.
Then, accompanied by the Chinese President and his wife, a former opera singer, the royals will attend the first concert by the Royal Theater Orchestra at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, conducted by Gustavo Jimeno, the new music director and with soprano Sabina Puertola participating.
The rest of the agenda
Don Felipe is scheduled to attend, early Thursday morning, a meeting of the Spanish-Chinese Trade Advisory Council with the Chinese Prime Minister. After that, you will have the opportunity to visit one of the factories for the production of automobile components owned by Gestamp in China, which is located on the outskirts of the capital.
For her part, Doña Letizia will attend an event to promote the Spanish language at Beijing Foreign Language University along with about 400 students. Interest in learning Spanish in China, where Cervantes has two institutes in Beijing and Shanghai, is in its infancy and there are estimated to be about 60,000 students across the country.
The kings will put the final touches on their visit with a traditional reception for representatives of the Spanish community at the residence of Ambassador Marta Betanzos in Beijing. There are currently about 5,000 Spaniards residing in the country.
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