Foreign and Military Affairs

Chinese vice premier arrives in Spain for visit

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-01-04 22:35

MADRID - Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang arrived here Tuesday at the start of a three-nation tour to Europe.

During his stay in Spain, Li will hold talks with Spain's Second Deputy Prime Minister, Elena Salgado, and meet Spanish King Juan Carlos, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez.

China and Spain have forged a comprehensive strategic partnership, which has developed steadily in recent years. Li and Zapatero are expected to attend a ceremony on Wednesday during which both sides will sign documents on trade and economic cooperation.

Spain, the fourth largest economy in the euro zone, is currently plagued by both the international financial crisis and its own sovereignty debt crisis.

The Chinese government has said it would support a package of financial stabilization measures from the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and their practical actions to help some EU nations to tide over their sovereign debt crises.

Spain is the first leg of his three-nation tour, which will also take him to Germany and Britain.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said China enjoyed good relations with these three important EU nations, and hoped to deepen mutual trust and cooperation during Li's visit to promote healthy and stable development of Sino-EU ties.