Luis Ayllón
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, will make an official trip to China at the end of the month to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and to participate in the Boao Forum for Asia, according to government sources.
The sources said that Sánchez plans to take part on the 30th in the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), which is considered the ‘Asian Davos’ and which has been meeting annually since 2001 in the coastal city of Hainan, China’s southernmost province, to analyse political and economic issues. On this occasion, the meeting will take place from 28 to 31 March.
Sánchez will then travel to Beijing, at the invitation of Xi Jingping, to carry out a visit that was being prepared when the coronavirus pandemic was declared. Now, it will take place on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Madrid and Beijing, following the recognition on 9 March 1973 by Franco’s regime of Mao Tse Tung’s China.
Pedro Sánchez had the opportunity to reiterate to Xi Jinping his desire to travel to China when they met on 15 November last year in the margins of the G-20 Summit in Bali (Indonesia). At that time, the two leaders discussed, among other issues, the situation in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion and its impact on the world economy.
Now, Sánchez, who, like the rest of the European leaders, remains alert to Beijing’s position on Ukraine, will be able to hear Xi Jinping’s views on the conflict from his mouth, just a few days after the Chinese president met with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow.
The ambiguity that China is maintaining regarding the crisis in Ukraine has led the Spanish authorities so far not to attach great importance to the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, although the Chinese embassy has organised a concert on Monday, the 27th, in the National Auditorium to inaugurate the China-Spain Year of Culture and Tourism.
Sánchez will participate, for the first time, in the Boao Forum, which was inaugurated last year by Xi Jinping, with a speech via telematic means, and which in this edition will focus its debates on the main issues regarding the development of Asia and the world and will be dedicated to forging a global consensus on the acceleration of the post-pandemic economic recovery. It also aims to strengthen political coordination, solidarity and cooperation among the international community to address common challenges and promote common development, according to the organisers.
The President of the Government will take part in these debates. Before travelling to China, he plans to attend the European Council tomorrow and the day after tomorrow in Brussels, where Ukraine will also be discussed, and to travel to Santo Domingo to take part in the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit in the Dominican Republic over the weekend.
