Ｓｐａｎｉｓｈ Ｌｏｃａｌ Ｄｅｌｅｇａｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ Ａｕｔｏｎｏｍｏｕｓ Ｒｅｇｉｏｎ ｏｆ Ｖａｌｅｎｃｉａ ｉｎ Ｃｈｉｎａ

From November 11 to 24， 2005， the local delegation of Valencia led by Francisco Ribes， president of the Association of Friends of China of the Autonomous Region of Valencia， Spain， visited Beijing， Ningbo， Wuxi and Shanghai at the invitation of the CPAFFC.

Traditional Friendship

As the secretary-general of the Valencian Federation of Provinces and Municipalities， Francisco Ribes were invited to China in 1991 and 1992. After assuming the presidency of the Association of Friends of China of Valencia， he came to visit China several times. He is friendly to China and actively promotes the cultural， economic and trade exchanges between Spain and China and the development of friendly relations between the provinces and municipalities of the two countries.

CPAFFC Vice President Liu Zhiming met with and entertained President Ribes and his delegation. Liu Zhiming expressed his appreciation for Ribes’ efforts to promote Sino-Spanish friendship over the years and hoped the Association of Friends of China would in future perform a greater role as a bridge in improving the mutual understanding and deepening the friendship between the two peoples. President Ribes said， the Barcelona Olympic Games and the Sevilla World Exposition in 1992 were milestones in the history of development of Spain which have overnight turned the country into one of the powerful countries in the world. He believed that the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2010 Shanghai World Exposition would bring China into a golden age of booming development. Liu Zhiming said， in the coming years， China and Spain will hold a series of important international activities which will provide us great opportunities for development and cooperation and set stages for us to present ourselves to the world through which we can build up a grand platform for cooperation and exchanges between the two countries. Ribes said， under his leadership， the Association of Friends of China will work hard to make itself a strong tie between the peoples of the two countries， and publicize China in a more objective and comprehensive way to let the Spanish people know more about China so as to strengthen and further the traditional Spain-China friendship.

Promoting Exchanges and Cooperation

At the Ningbo Port， the delegation was warmly welcomed by the leaders of the Ningbo Port Group and amazed at the massive scale of the port. Member of the delegation and president of the INTEREXIT Group Vicente showed great interest in the modern Ningbo Port and hoped to open cargo lines between Ningbo and Valencia and Alicante in the near future.

Member of the delegation and deputy mayor of Denia City Cuartero said Denia became an important port of Spain on the Mediterranean coast 2，500 years ago， and now is the most well-reputed Spanish passenger port for tourists. At the Denia Port， one can see the past of Spain—a strong and prosperous empire， whereas at the Ningbo Port， one can foresee the future of China—the microcosm of a rising and flourishing great oriental nation.

The delegation visited the Spain-Ventured Industrial Park in Cixi City of Jiangsu Province. When informed that the industrial park is located near the Hangzhou Bay Bridge which will soon be completed and put into use， all the members showed great confidence in the future development of the industrial park.

In Wuxi， the delegation met and talked with representatives from influential companies and institutions in the fields of real estate， tourism and logistics of the city， and enhanced mutual understanding. The two cities have reached initial agreement on cooperation in projects including tourism advertising， exchange of visits， training of personnel for tourist service and real estate development. Letters of intent on cooperation were signed between Wuxi and the city of Denia and between Wuxi and the Consortium for Economic Recuperation of Marina Alta.