The second meeting of the China-Spain Forum will be held from Tuesday to Wednesday in Barcelona, Spain, and a Chinese official Monday expressed hope the meeting would help tighten ties between the two countries.

"We hope the forum will serve as a platform to further bilateral friendly ties and comprehensive cooperation," said Su Guang, vice chairman of the Chinese Committee of the Forum, before he left for Barcelona.

Chinese vice-premier Zeng Peiyan will attend the meeting and participants are expected to discuss further cooperation in political, economic, social, cultural and sports fields.

Su, who is also vice president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said the forum had been very instrumental to boosting China-Spain exchanges and cooperation since it was established a year ago.

The organizers have so far launched activities such as a China-Spain symposium on urban transportation in Beijing in May this year, the launching of a China-Spain website and the establishment of a business center to promote bilateral exchanges.

Su said the Chinese Committee of the Forum was preparing to publish a magazine of the forum and planning to boost exchanges between regional governments of the two countries.

(Xinhua News Agency November 30, 2004)