On November 24, 2004, Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Crown Prince Felipe of Spain in Gran Canaria Island.

As the first heir to the Spanish throne, Felipe visited China in 2000. On behalf of Spanish King Juan Carlos I who is on a visit to the US, Felipe extended warm welcome to Hu Jintao for his short stay at the Gran Canaria Island.

Hu positively commented the contributions of the Spanish royal family to promoting the steady development of China-Spain relations over years. He told Felipe that our two countries enjoy sound relations and maintain frequent high-level exchanges and contacts. Our mutual political trust is increasingly strengthened, economic and trade cooperation keeps expanding, and exchanges and cooperation in such areas as science and technology, culture, education and sports have achieved clear progresses. He also complimented the firm adherence of the Spanish government to the one-China policy.

Hu said that the Chinese government attaches great importance to China-Spain relations and stands ready to work with Spain to raise bilateral ties to new levels. In a few days the second meeting of the China-Spain Forum will be held, and he believes that the meeting will help both sides to further enhance understanding and broaden cooperation.

Felipe said that China's modernization process has made great success. China is playing an increasingly important role in international affairs. Spain attaches great importance to conducting all-round cooperation with China and hopes to have greater involvement in China's economic development and infrastructure construction. The bilateral exchanges in the fields of culture and education should also be further strengthened. He added that at the beginning of the 1990s, Spain hosted both the Olympic Games and the EXPO and accumulated certain useful experiences which Spain is willing to share with China so as to guarantee the full success of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the EXPO 2010 Shanghai. Hu expressed appreciation for that.

Hu's wife Liu Yongqing and Queen of Spain Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano attended the meeting.

At noon Hu cordially met with part of the staff of the Chinese embassy in Spain and representatives of Chinese organizations and Chinese living in Gran Canaria Island.

Before departure, he especially went to the Las Palmas Port of Gran Canaria Island to inspect the base of the Ocean Fisheries Company of China Agriculture Development Corporation and visited the officials and staff who leave the motherland to engage in the ocean fisheries industry.

In the afternoon of the same day, Hu Jintao left Gran Canaria Island for Beijing by special plane.

Hu Jintao arrived at Gran Canaria Island for a technical stay in the morning after wrapping up his state visits to Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Cuba and attending APEC's 12th Informal Leadership Meeting held in Chile.