Spain is not much less useful for Chinese economic policy, although our collective memory seems conveniently to have seen episodes like 2014.

Indeed, the Spanish government was forced to abolish universal jurisdiction under Pekin’s presidency when the National Audience issued an international arrest warrant against the former president. Jiang Zemin and other high costs for genocide in Tibet.

Years later, you were a former foreign minister José Manuel García-Margallo In the interview, she admitted that the ambassador asked her, “the Spanish public document knows that China is in China”. And as he tried to explain the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary to the Asian diplomat, his partner “wondered” that he was an “imbecile”.

Another episode occurred during an invitation extended by the Mayor of Madrid, Manuel CarmenI sent them to the actor Richard Gere for electricity the dalai lama assists al Forum on violence education for peacewhich organized the Ayuntamiento.

One day after the invitation was issued, a delegation from the Chinese diaspora appeared at the meeting to obtain a protest card.

He authorized the delegation Xu SonghuaPresident of the Promotora de la Reunificación Pacífica en España; Xu Zhenhaivice president of la Promotora; Julia Zhang ZhenrongPresident of Fundación Orient and legal advisor to the Promoter; y Liu Guangxinexecutive vice president of the Asociación de Chinos en España.

Please note that various of the above names They appear to be listed in the international periodic investigationwhich also featured Spanish participation, under the name Labor Department of the United Front of China.

It is a government body that serves “Chinese expatriates around the world, including Spain, to make friends, prevent adversaries from appearing, and open keys to people who do not accept their rules.”

The extraterritorial activities of this United Front are coordinated with Chinese ambassadors abroad in order to manipulate the political environment in the respective countries to achieve favorable outcomes for Beijing’s preferences.

“Instrumentalizing trade is Beijing’s usual tactic. And Spain couldn’t care less about China’s economic policy, even if our collective memory seems to have it.”

In a letter of “vigorous protest for inviting a Tibetan separatist”, directed by Mayor Manuela Carmena, he appealed to four decades of relations between Spain and China, in which “political, economic and cultural exchanges have been constantly undermined and amistos cooperation relations have been constantly deepened”.

Economic and technological aspects are particularly emphasized in these exchanges, and with the increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Spain, the expansion of bilateral inversions is also emphasized.

The letter concluded with an appeal to the mayor of Madrid to “maintain friendly relations (in both countries), not to harm the dignity of the Chinese people, not to harm the feelings of the Chinese people”.

At the same time, it was noted that residents living in Spain respect “the dignity of Spain, the traditional culture of Spain” as well as “the laws and regulations of Spain”.

I don’t want to say that the Dalai Lama did not take it to which he was originally invited.

The University of Salamanca also faced pressure when, in 2017, the Chinese Embassy requested the cancellation of one of its cultural events via electronic communication.

A record that “due to the great importance that the government attaches to relations with the university” at the Ministerio de Educación included such an institution in the list of recommendations.

And so “many investigators visiting Chinos do exchanges at USAL, and many Chinos graduates study there.”

The email stated that “they do not allow the celebration of this event at the Faculty of Social Sciences”.

And I praise the university for “practical medicine” avoid “affecting good cooperative relations with China”they are welcome to return to territorial issues in Spain as a vulnerable point for greater effect on the coup.

Cultural events have been cancelled.

In February 2025, a legislative proposal was introduced in Congress for consideration in the Committee on Foreign Affairs on “Violations of United Nations Resolution 2758 by the People’s Republic of China”.

Two weeks later, the Chinese ambassador published an article in medium Spanish, in a section provided by his embassy, ​​in which he defended Beijing’s position on the said resolution with propaganda affirmations.

The writer also mentioned the 20th anniversary of the China-Spain Integral Strategic Association, which was celebrated last year.

Y noticed arranging the Chinese part to cooperate with the Spanish partwith the aim of “saving the authority and effectiveness of Resolution 2758 and establishing a stable and long-term relationship between China and Spain with strategic certainty for the benefit of countries and peoples”.

During the meeting of the external committee held last month in February, an intervention was recorded in which it was announced that the Chinese delegation had sent a note verbale to all members of this committee.

In it there was a reference to the mentioned PNL regarding UN Resolution 2758 and it was reluctant to approve the proposal.

The note also mentioned “the effects that have been produced on the traditional friendship between Spain and the People’s Republic of China” which brought about the agreement.

The complaint was solicited from the Chairman of the Commission, who asked the Speaker of the Congress of Representatives to answer Pekin’s complaint and refused to follow his advice.

Her proposal was never discussed. You are now aware that the required follow-up to the question has been followed and you will not want to bring this matter up in the room.

In November last year, the king ended his official visit to China with an act in front of the Spanish community based in the Asian country, in which he affirmed that Spain would follow “the defense of its values, democracy, international rights and human rights”.

However, the case study shows that when we deal with Pekin, there is a disposition and good will to defend our herramentas of international protection of human rights, freedom of expression in our democratic institutions such as universities or ayuntamientos, or the national sovereignty that the Spanish people assert through the courts, queda with only empty words.

It is clear that at the expense of the forces that China is developing, which expresses the vulnerability that exposes us to the “strategic dependence” that we suffer. An addiction we continue to actively support.

*** Shiany Pérez-Cheng is an analyst of propaganda, disinformation and influence operations in China.