Chinese President Xi Jinping has made a habit of visiting the Canary Islands, Spain, on a number of occasions in recent years.
His most recent trip to the islands was just last week, when he stopped over there before making his way to Peru to attend the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Summit.
This visit was the third time the Chinese President has stopped over in the Canary Islands in the last eight years.
His previous visits came in 2016 when he stopped over in Gran Canaria and in 2019 when he stayed in Tenerife.
According to reports, President Xi’s stopovers in the Canary Islands are for personal reasons.
Speaking to La Linterna, journalist Enrique Serbeto said: “Did you know that our friend Xi Jinping, on his way to Peru, stopped in the Canary Islands?
“He made a brief stop there, and it’s not the first time he’s done it; apparently, there are some things he likes about the islands.”
Xi’s repeated stops in the Canary Islands is made more significant because of the fact he has only visited the capital, Madrid, once.
Local news outlet La Provincia reports that Xi stayed at the Santa Catalina hotel along with his delegation of 150 people.
Antonio Morales, President of Gran Canaria, welcomed the Chinese leader upon arrival.
Reports also claim that Xi sent his own bed linens, towels, food and drinking water three weeks before his arrival. Xi also reportedly demanded that his hotel room windows be replaced with bulletproof glass and that a nearby park and car park had to be closed.
He put up his own paintings and demanded to sleep on a mattress he had flown in from China. Xi’s personal chef also made the trip to prepare his food.
Spanish media also reports that Xi may make frequent stops in the Canary Islands because a branch of China’s National Fisheries Corporation (CNFC) is located there.
Other business interests on the islands include Chinese manufacturer ZPMC’s role in building Gran Canaria’s Opcsa container, and Chinese fund Jin Jiang’s prominence in the hotel industry there.
