Vice Premier says China will continue to buy Spanish bonds

China’s Vice Premier Li Keqiang has promised that Beijing will continue to buy Spanish government bonds despite concerns over sovereign debt in the eurozone, the Financial Times reported. “China is a responsible, long-term investor in the European and particularly Spanish financial markets, and we have confidence in Spain’s financial market,” Li wrote in a full-page opinion piece that appeared in El Pais, a leading Spanish newspaper, on Monday. The vice premier will shortly embark on a European tour, taking in Spain, Germany and the UK. He is scheduled to meet Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and King Juan Carlos, with discussions expected to focus on trade and investment ties. The share of Spanish sovereign debt held by “Asia, Africa and others” – a category that includes China but not Japan – has more than doubled in the past four years, and now accounts for a fifth of the total amount of debt in foreign hands.