Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will start his visit to China from Thursday to Friday at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Sanchez will also attend the ongoing Boao Forum for Asia. On 30 March , our reporter Huang Yue talked to experts to learn what can be expected from this European leader's visit. 

FENG ZHONGPING, Director, Institute of European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences "European countries have been hugely impacted by this continuous crisis. I think Spain would like to work with China, using the diplomatic ways and political means to solve the issue, rather than making the conflict more dangerous. And the trip provides a very important opportunity for Spain and other European countries to deeply discuss with China, and exchange their views on how to solve this issue." 

Spain will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union later this year. Experts believe the prime minister's visit will not only open up new prospects for China and Spain, but also for China and all 27 member countries of the EU. 

As China and Spain celebrate their half a century of diplomatic ties this year, the Spanish Prime Minister is visiting Beijing and Hainan to attend this year's Boao Forum. Experts speak highly of bilateral relations over the past 50 years, with the two sides achieving fruitful results. 

ZHANG MIN, Researcher, Institute of European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences "Over the past five decades, the bilateral ties between China and Spain are advancing steadily in general. Mutual political trust has been enhanced, and the two countries have pragmatic cooperation in many areas, such as trade, technology and innovation. Culture and education exchanges are also highlights." 

Experts say trade, investment and economic cooperation will be main discussions during the visit. In the meantime, the Ukraine crisis is also expected to be high on the agenda.  

HUANG YUE Beijing "The Spanish Prime Minister is among several European leaders who have visited or are planning to visit China. Experts say it shows the EU has realized the negative impact of 'decoupling' and the huge demand for the two sides to deepen cooperation, especially amid the current climate of uncertainty. But whether the EU can withstand pressure from the US and pursue its own interests, remains to be seen. Huang Yue, CGTN, Beijing." 

采访链接：https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-03-30/VHJhbnNjcmlwdDcxMzI5/index.html  

供稿人：欧洲所张敏，编发自CGTN链接