Overview
- Felipe VI and Queen Letizia departed Madrid on Sunday for a four‑day program that starts in Chengdu before official ceremonies in Beijing.
- An official reception with President Xi Jinping is set for Wednesday, followed by meetings with Premier Li Qiang and top legislator Zhao Leji.
- The royal party includes Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo, joined by a sizable delegation of Spanish business leaders.
- An ICEX‑led forum in Chengdu is expected to gather about 300 companies, alongside company visits and a Teatro Real concert in Beijing attended by the Chinese leadership.
- Spain frames the visit as deepening ties on the partnership’s 20th anniversary, pursuing better market access and investment as it manages a €53 billion but imbalanced trade relationship, maintains human‑rights engagement via the EU dialogue, faces close EU and U.S. scrutiny, and—per some reports—may establish a structured follow‑up mechanism.