Quotable

"Spain is a country with a great impact in Europe. We'd like to consolidate and expand China's relations with the European Union through developing our relations with Spain."

Premier Li Keqiang, meeting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Beijing. Rajoy promised to shorten the visa process.

"The fact that ties have been stuck in a difficult situation in recent years is the concern of people in the two countries and has come to the attention of the international community."

Cai Mingzhao, minister of the State Council Information Office, on Sino-Japan diplomatic relations, which he said are supposed to be rational and mature, just like people are believed to be in their 40s.

"Tibet is the last classic treasure on the map, with its religious mystery, sound environment and many historic sites."

DU JIANG, deputy director of China National Tourism Administration, comparing Tibet with other regions in China. Tibet has plenty of space to develop tourism, given its rich and relatively untapped tourist resources, Du said. The autonomous region received 12.91 million domestic and overseas tourists last year, up 22 percent from the previous year. Tourism brought Tibet 16.5 billion yuan ($2.7 billion) in revenue in 2013.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/03/2014 page3)