China-Spain relations during the Transition Period

The establishment of diplomatic relations between Spain and the People‟s Republic of China in 1973 was a transcendental event for bilateral relations. After Franco‟s and Mao‟s death, both countries, respectively, also underwent major changes in their domestic sphere, resulting from the changes in their internal situation. In the post-Franco era, Spain was searching for a balance between “following Franco‟s line in diplomacy” and “expanding the international space”, whilst mainland China was realizing an important turning point to its foreign policy, from an “Anti-hegemony International Front” to “casting aside the ideological fight and procuring a peaceful environment”. Deng Xiaoping‟s Reform and Open Up policy would allow China to return to the path towards modernization, as a consequence from implementing a pragmatic style foreign policy. In the following article, the period from 1976 to 1982 has been selected, a period of “transition” for both countries, in order to have a general perspective of the links that the relationship betw