Summary of GATE Dialogue with the Ambassador of China to Spain: “China in the Global South”

On Thursday, 5 March 2026, GATE Center hosted a Dialogue with H.E. Yao Jing, Ambassador of China to Spain. The session was moderated by Professor Susanne Gratius, Academic Coordinator of GATE Center, and opened by Daniel Romero Abreu, President of GATE Center. The dialogue examined China’s foreign policy in the context of a global power shift toward the Asia-Pacific and its engagement with the Global South, BRICS, and Latin America.

Ambassador Yao emphasized that China continues to see itself as part of the Global South. Its foreign policy prioritizes the Asia-Pacific neighborhood, divided into Northeast Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea), Southeast Asia (ASEAN countries), South Asia (India), and Central Asia (Kazakhstan), with development as the main goal. Beyond Asia, China engages with the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, focusing on cooperative development.

Regarding BRICS, Ambassador Yao explained that China views the expanded group as a platform to promote global peace, development, and multilateral consensus, despite differing member interests. He highlighted the importance of inclusive collaboration rather than confrontation, underpinned by principles such as international law and non-unilateralism.

On Latin America, he stressed that the region is a strategic partner in global development initiatives. China respects the sovereignty of countries like Venezuela and Cuba and seeks mutually beneficial economic, industrial, and environmental cooperation. Spain serves as a key bridge to Latin America, facilitating academic, business, and cultural connections, and helping Chinese companies and universities engage with the region.

Ambassador Yao also addressed domestic and international challenges, noting that despite economic and military growth, internal development imbalances and technological dependencies remain. China’s military expansion is defensive, focused on regional security rather than external aggression. On international conflicts, he advocated peaceful, multilateral solutions, opposing unilateral military interventions, and discussed China’sbalanced role in the Russia–Ukraine war and its approach to global crises, including the Middle East.

Thanks to the audience’s questions—covering Venezuela, Cuba, U.S. policies under Trump, and Spanish perceptions of war in Iran—the debate was particularly engaging, offering insights on sovereignty, multilateralism, and China’s evolving global role.

The session concluded with an optimistic outlook, highlighting the value of continued dialogue between China, Europe, and the Global South, and the potential for future GATE events to deepen understanding of international cooperation and development.