Historical Achievements That Engender New Glory

By ZHU BANGZAO

THIS year marks the 40th an- niversary of the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the Peoples Republic of China and the Kingdom of Spain. Contact between the two countries started centuries earlier. The trade route later known as the Silk Road first connected the two civilizations – the Han Dynasty capital Changan in East Asia and Tarragona， capital of the Roman Empire， a city in southern Catalonia in northeast Spain.

It was Spanish Dominican， diplomat， astronomer and sinologist Juan Cobo who first translated a Chinese classic –Precious Mirror of the Clear Heart – entitled Espejo Rico del Claro Corazón， and brought it to Europe. Cobo also wrote the first book ever published in Europe on Chinese civilization – História do Grande Reinad da China.

Full diplomatic ties， established on March 9， 1973， between China and Spain set the tone for the consistent rapport and cooperation between the two peoples. In the four decades the SinoSpanish relationship has stood the tests of time and shifts in the global situation. Its steady progress is a matter of great pride to both parties.

Mutual trust between China and Spain has grown over the past 40 years through intensifying high-level visits. Dialogues and exchanges have enhanced and consolidated mutual understanding and friendship between the two governments and peoples at all levels. The two countries announced during former Chinese President Hu Jintaos state visit to Spain in 2005 the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership that has since escalated bilateral ties to new heights.

Former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabaos visit to Spain in 2009 led to the joint statement by the two governments wherein both sides agreed to expand cooperation within the framework of a comprehensive strategic partnership and outlined future actions to be taken for this purpose.

In 2011 and 2012， then Vice Premier Li Keqiang and Wu Bangguo， chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress （NPC）， made respective visits to Spain that resulted in around 30 cooperation agreements. The two countries once more demonstrated their resolve to join hands in confronting the challenges incurred by the global financial crisis.

Trade and economic cooperation are the most dynamic aspect of Sino-Spanish relations. It has expanded over the past 40 years from cargo trade to diversified realms including service trade， investment and technological cooperation. The scale， meanwhile， has gone all the way up， bilateral trade volume having rocketed to almost US $25 billion last year –a 2，000-plus-fold increase over the US$12 million four decades ago.

Two-way investment， formerly nonexistent， is also steadily growing. By March 2013， Spanish cumulative investment in China， involving 1，999 projects， totaled US $2.72 billion. Chinese direct investment in Spain added up to US$450 million， and around 40 Chinese companies ran operations in the country. Collaboration in both conventional fields – finance and telecommunications– and those emerging – new energy and environmental protection – are making encouraging advances. There have been breakthroughs in cooperation over colossal projects， particularly those concerning energy. China is now one of the leading trade partners of Spain outside of the European Union， and Spain is a key trade partner of China among EU members.

Cultural exchanges constitute another pillar of bilateral ties. Growing enthusiasm to learn about one another has led to a raft of Chinese and Spanish cultural events and the launch of various cultural programs over the past 40 years. Among them were the Year of Spain in China， Chinese art festivals in Spain， as well as establishment of the Instituto Cervantes in China and of the Chinese Cultural Center in Spain. These activities and facilities have advanced mutual knowledge， understanding and fellowship.

So far China has opened six Confucius Institutes in Spain， and sponsored the Year of Chinese Language in 2010. These moves have nurtured growing zest for Chinese language in the country， where participants in the HSK （Chinese language proficiency test） have been the largest of all European countries for successive years. Meanwhile， large-scale cultural and artistic events the two countries have organized in one anothers countries have enriched local knowledge of their respective cultures.

Now in its 40th year， the Sino-Spanish diplomatic relationship has come to a stage of even greater maturity， stability and dynamism. Bilateral cooperation has reached unprecedented levels in terms of scope， depth and pace of advancement. It marks a heartening new starting point from which to review past experience， study the current situation and proactively prepare for new problems and challenges arising amid the reshuffle of international social and economic structures. On the 40th anniversary of the SinoSpanish diplomatic relationship， both parties should propel bilateral ties to evergreater achievements. Particular efforts could be made in the following aspects.

– Consolidating political mutual trust and buttressing the political foundation of bilateral ties. For this purpose， government leaders， parliaments， political parties and civilian organizations of the two countries should have closer contact and exchanges. Regular multi-level dialogues and consultations can contribute to mutual understanding and trust， giving meaning to the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Spain. The two sides should continue to respect and look after the others major interests and concerns， step up strategic dialogues within the frameworks of the UN， G20 and other international organizations， and work together to safeguard world peace and promote common development.

– Seeking tangible benefits for the two peoples by enhancing trade and economic cooperation. The two countries should boost bilateral trade， and encourage their enterprises， particularly medium-sized and small ones， to engage in further exchanges and cooperation. The process of Chinas transforming its economy from investment and manufacturing-centered to consumption-driven teems with opportunities for foreign businesses that Spanish companies should not miss. I hope they grasp this opportunity to in- troduce competitive products into the Chinese market， and in doing so help expand bilateral trade. They could also consider opening new exchange platforms for two-way investment， ratchet up cooperation with their Chinese peers in both conventional industries， such as manufacturing， telecommunications， finance and infrastructure， and emerging sectors， including energy saving， environmental protection， new energy and new materials. Businesses from the two countries could pool their respective advantages and explore cooperation in third party markets， so benefiting all three parties involved. Meanwhile， China and Spain should accelerate exchanges in the hi-tech field and technological trade， forging new growth points in bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

– Vigorously advancing cultural and educational exchanges to achieve further amity between the two peoples. On the basis of the year of culture and year of language， the two countries should stage more cooperative programs of broader range and at multiple levels in the fields of science and technology， education， and culture and tourism. We should promote exchanges between our think tanks and media， and cultivate more “goodwill ambassadors.” The two sides tourism authorities should make greater promotional efforts in the other country， and take affirmative measures to facilitate travels. The two countries are also expected to expand language programs and exchange more students. At present the Chinese population residing in Spain approaches 200，000， the majority of whom are law-abiding， hardworking， and eager to fit into local communities. We hope Spain will treat these Chinese migrants fairly and objectively， and ensure the favorable ambience and conditions necessary for them to adapt to Spanish society. These measures are conducive to sustaining the salutary atmosphere between China and Spain for mutual aid， mutual benefit and win-win results.

In a similar spirit as a boat sailing in high wind over broad waters， we have immense confidence in and earnestly anticipate the future of Sino-Spanish relations. At the same time， we are content with and proud of achievements over the past 40 years. We foresee even greater glories for our bilateral ties in the coming years.