MADRID, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday extended his greetings to the Chinese community in the country ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Rajoy highlighted the contributions of the Chinese community to the shared prosperity in Spain, said a statement released on the official website of the government.

The Chinese community has become the second-largest non-European Union community in Spain, and "many Spaniards today see the Chinese and Asian cultures as something much closer than they did in the past," Rajoy said.

More and more Chinese citizens have discovered Spain as an attractive place to visit, live and study, he added.

The Spanish prime minister pledged that his country would work to strengthen friendship and mutual understanding with China in the coming years.

The year 2018 marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Spain.