Sharing session for Xi’s book held in Spain

By Han Xiaoming, Liu Xuxia, and Chen Xiaohang from People’s Daily

A sharing session for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s book, Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, was held in Madrid, Spain on Nov. 22 ahead of his state visit to Spain.

Co-organized by China’s State Council Information Office, China International Publishing Group, and Chinese Embassy in Spain, the book fair was jointly held by China’s Foreign Languages Press and Spanish organization Catedra China.

Nearly 200 people, including Wang Xiaohui, executive deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Juan José Lucas, President of the Constitutional Commission in the Spanish Senate, attended the activity.

Thanks to the increasingly closer comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Spain, the two countries enjoy enhanced trade cooperation and frequent cultural exchanges, said Lucas.

Xi’s books have received wide attention since publication, and his visit will become a “golden chance” for the development of China-Spain ties, Lucas noted, adding that his country will have a better understanding of China’s present and future through the book.

Georgina Higueras, vice chair of the Catedra China and president of an association of former Spanish students in China, told People’s Daily that the book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China reflects China’s confidence in its institution and culture, adding that every country should explore their own ways of governance and social development based on their respective history and experiences.

The increasing popularity of Xi’s book in Spain will help the people there understand China, and enhance people-to-people bond under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, creating better environment for China-Spain friendship, said Lv Fan, Chinese Ambassador to Spain.

Attending Spanish historian Felipe Debesa noted that he has read the Spanish version of the first volume of the book several years ago, saying he was quite impressed by the Chinese wisdom and experiences in the book.

“I started reading the Spanish version of the second volume immediately after it was published, and Xi’s profound thoughts in the book are enlightening,” he said.

Three Spanish readers are reading Xi Jinping: The Governance of China at the sharing session. Photo by Han Xiaoming from People’s Daily