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 China |  Spain |
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China–Spain relations have existed since the 16th century. In modern times, official diplomatic relations betweenSpain and thePeople's Republic of China were established in 1973.
Contact between China and Spain first occurred between theMing dynasty of China and theSpanish-ruled Philippines, in which Spain believed it couldtake over China.[1][2]
When the Chinese pirateLimahong attackedManila in 1574, officials inFujian Province were willing to let the Spanish establish a trade port on an island south ofXiamen, in return for Limahong's capture. However, the governor of the Philippines did not respond favourably, and the offer came to nothing when Limahong escaped from Manila.[3]
In 1598, Cantonese officials allowed Spain to trade inEl Piñal, a port in the Pearl River Delta nearMacau. ThePortuguese in Macau reacted violently and chased away the Spanish from the area by arms in 1600.[3]
In 1927, a treaty recognizing extraterritoriality was signed between theKingdom of Spain andChiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government. The Spanish consul general inShanghai was also theminister plenipotentiary to China.[4] TheRepublic of China had diplomatic relations with Spain underFrancisco Franco.[5]
Francoist Spain's official diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China began in March 1973.[6]
According to the Chinese state-runXinhua News Agency, the volume of trade between the two countries grew considerably in the 2000s. Total trade, at US$7.2 billion in 2004, had increased to $22.7 billion by October 2008, and China became Spain's sixth-largest trading partner.[7][needs update]
In 2018, during General Secretary of the Chinese Communist PartyXi Jinping's state visit to Spain, Prime MinisterPedro Sánchez refused to sign a memorandum of understanding on theBelt and Road Initiative.[8]
In June 2019, Spain had extradited 94Taiwanese nationals tomainland China instead of Taiwan as part of "Operation Great Wall".[9] By 2021, the number had increased to more than 200.[10] Both countries signed an extradition agreement in 2006.[9]
In July 2019, the UN ambassadors from 22 nations, including Spain, signed a joint letter to theUNHRC condemning China's alleged mistreatment of theUyghurs as well as of other minority groups and urged the Chinese government to close theXinjiang internment camps.[11][12]
TheInternational Department of theChinese Communist Party maintains relations with major Spanish political partiesSpanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and thePeople's Party.[13]Vox has maintained a critical stance toward the Chinese government.[13]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, it was reported in April 2020 that 640,000 Antigen Coronavirus Test Kits which themselves were replacements for previously supplied faulty kits, bought from a Chinese company, Bioeasy, had been found to be defective, prompting Spain to seek a refund.[14] The Spanish Health Ministry reported that faulty face masks bought from another Chinese company, Garry Galaxy, had resulted in infections among health workers, requiring the isolation of over a thousand Spanish healthcare personnel.[15]
In September 2024,Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez held talks withChinese leader Xi Jinping to enhance bilateral relations, focusing on global conflicts of Ukraine and economic cooperation. The discussions addressed trade disputes, such as EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and Spain's pork exports, while also emphasizing the importance of strengthening business and cultural ties between the two nations.[16]
In July 2025, theEuropean Union raised cybersecurity concerns as the Spanish government contracts withHuawei to manage and store its wiretaps for law enforcement and intelligence services.[17][18][19]
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