The Diplomat in Spain

Faced with the prospect of the 35^th anniversary of the Spanish-Chinese diplomatic relations next year, the Chinese Ambassador to Spain, Lyu Fan, toasted, on Wednesday during the reception he offered at the InterContinental Hotel of Madrid (in the above photo), the consolidation and strengthening of ties between both countries.

“The relations with the European Union are an essential part of the Chinese diplomacy and Spain plays an important role in those relations”, the ambassador declared in his speech commemorating the 68^th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, pronounced in perfect Spanish, and in which he described the relationship with Spain as “strategic”.

After going over the favourable evolution of China’s economic data and the increase of bilateral trade -“which is now more balanced”-, tourism –“which grows in both countries”- and the constant political contacts -the president Xi Jinping met King Felipe VI, in Astana, and the president Rajoy, in Shanghai, in less than a month-, Lyu Fan bet on consolidating that friendship between both nations. He gave as an example the reciprocal interest in learning the languages: “we have six Confucius institutes in Spain and 13,000 students in China”.

The reception was attended by numerous ambassadors, businesspeople, politicians and representatives of the Spanish Administration, such as the secretaries of State of Research, Carmen Vela, and Trade, María Luisa Poncela. The senator of PP, José Ignacio Landaluce, the ambassador director of the School of Diplomacy, Ramón Gil-Casares, and the secretary general of the Spain-India Council Foundation, Alonso Dezcallar, were also present.

Text and photos: A. Rubio. 29/09/2017

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The senator of PP, José Ignacio Landaluce, talks with Ambassador Lyu Fan and his wife when he gets to the reception.

Yemen’s Ambassador, Nabil Khalid Maisery, after greeting the hosts.

Azerbaijan’s Ambassador, Anar Maharramov.

The secretary of Research, Carmen Vela (centre), with Brazil’s Ambassador, Antonio Simões, and Indonesia’s Ambassador, Yuli Mumpuni Widarso.

Russia’s Ambassador, Yuri P. Korchagin (centre), with the director of the magazine ‘Diplomacia’, Santiago Velo de Antelo, and the president of the NGO Peace and Cooperation, Joaquín Antuña.

Painter Francisca Blázquez and Bulgaria’s Ambassador, Ivan Kondov.