<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The second day of the King and Queen's state visit to China included a bilateral meeting on Wednesday between Felipe VI and President Xi Jinping, who attended the signing of nine agreements on economic, trade, food, cultural, and scientific cooperation.</strong></h4> The day began with an official welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People by Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, which included a review of the troops. Following this, a bilateral meeting took place between the two heads of state, while the Queen and the First Lady traveled to the Demonstration Center for Services for People with Disabilities. After this bilateral meeting, the King highlighted "the relationship of trust, the solid relationship, the bilateral relations of mutual trust based on the principles of respect and shared prosperity" existing between the two countries, which have shown "a willingness to work together to seek opportunities for the well-being of both peoples." For his part, Xi expressed his desire to further deepen the relationship between Spain and China, “an example of friendly coexistence and joint development between countries with different histories, cultures, and social systems, also contributing significantly to global cooperation for open development and the defense of international equity and justice.” To this end, the Chinese leader advocated for a comprehensive strategy “firmer in its orientation, more dynamic in its development, and with greater international influence” because, in a turbulent international landscape like the current one, “the world needs more constructive forces committed to peace and development.” Following this, the two heads of state attended the signing ceremony for cooperation documents, nine bilateral agreements of strategic interest affecting five ministries: Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Science, Culture, and Education. Specifically, the two official delegations (including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, and the Minister of Economy, Carlos Cuerpo) signed three memoranda of understanding, three protocols, one agreement, one accord, and one declaration. Among the most significant agreements are the creation of a Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation and the memorandum of understanding for accessing the Chinese market for Spanish exports through the establishment of a single window system to address obstacles for Spanish exports to China. In the area of food, Spain and China also signed a protocol on aquaculture products, fish oil and fishmeal for animal feed, and another agreement on regionalizing the response to African swine fever and food safety. Regarding cultural and scientific cooperation, the two delegations signed a cooperation agreement between the Cervantes Institute and Sichuan University, a cooperation agreement between the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the National Space Science Center (NSSC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), an agreement between the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics (IAC) and the Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics & Technology on Scientific, Technological and Academic Cooperation, and another agreement with the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA) on Film and Audiovisual Co-production, as well as a declaration to promote the teaching of Spanish and Chinese at the pre-university level. The King and Queen then laid a wreath at the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square. In the afternoon (early morning in Spain), the King, accompanied by his entourage, was received by Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and later by Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council. The second day of the visit concluded with a state dinner hosted by the Chinese President in honor of the State Visit and a concert by the Orchestra of the Royal Theatre of Spain.
