Pedro Sánchez doesn't call for human rights in China, but he proposes a measure that would weaken democracies at the UN

The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, is on his fourth official visit to the communist dictatorship of China in four years.

An opaque operation to tie Spain to the world's largest authoritarian regime
The government of Pedro Sánchez supports including Iran in an important UN committee that will define policies on women

He acts as an ambassador for Europe without the EU having authorized him to do so

During this visit, Sánchez has adopted a discourse in which he assumes the role of ambassador of the European Union, despite the fact that this organization has not assigned him this function. In fact, in Brussels, the rapprochement between the Spanish government and China is causing unease, since Sánchez has ignored the EU on matters such as the influence of Chinese companies in telephone networks. In September 2024, these disagreements between Brussels and Madrid were reflected in criticism of Sánchez for weakening the European position against China on issues such as tariffs on Chinese cars.

Sánchez intends to promote Chinese investment in Spain at a time when foreign investment is falling in our country, a phenomenon that can be attributed to economic policies with a strong ideological bias. Spain is the only democratic country with communist ministers, and the influence of the far left is especially strong in a government whose parliamentary weakness has prevented it from passing a single budget in these three years of the legislature. The OECD recently pointed out that the Spanish tax system penalizes wealth and job creators. Likewise, the government's eagerness to intervene in private companies to place ideologically aligned individuals generates insecurity and distrust among investors.

Sánchez's silence on human rights violations in China

Sánchez's attempt to have the Asian giant fill the void left by Western investors is unfolding through official visits about which the Spanish government offers no detailed information, an opacity that generates logical suspicions about Sánchez's relationship with China, an authoritarian one-party regime established in 1949, which has never held free elections and which engages in serious human rights violations about which Sánchez has made no statement during this or previous official visits. This uncritical attitude towards China contrasts sharply with his constant criticism of democratic countries like Israel and the United States.

Sánchez proposes a change at the UN that would favor the Beijing dictatorship

Sánchez's silence on the abuses of China's communist dictatorship was evident today in a lecture by the Spanish Socialist leader at Tsinghua University in Beijing, in which he made not a single mention of human rights, as if they were a taboo subject. He also did not propose any democratic reforms in China. However, Sánchez proposed changes to the UN that would favor Beijing and other dictatorships, giving them more weight in decision-making despite not respecting the fundamental principles of that organization and, in particular, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

During his speech, Sánchez stated: "If multilateralism is to remain useful, it must change and better reflect the balance of power and the sensitivities of today's world. We cannot allow the past to stifle the future of multilateral organizations. That is why I believe the West must relinquish some of its representation quotas in favor of global stability and the confidence of countries in the Global South." Sánchez then added, "We must transform the United Nations as soon as possible with a much stronger General Assembly, a more representative Security Council, and a more democratic decision-making system in which all regions truly have a voice and a vote."

There are two full democracies in Asia and only one in Africa

According to data published in The Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Democracy Index, 42.5% of countries are currently democracies, and only 15% are full democracies. These countries are home to 45% of the world's population. The remaining countries are either authoritarian regimes (39.2%) or hybrid regimes (15.7%). Communist China is among the authoritarian regimes, while free China (Taiwan, not recognized by Spain and which Sánchez has never visited) is among the full democracies, ranking 15th (Spain is 22nd).

Europe has 9 out of every 10 of the top-ranked countries in that index. Specifically, Western Europe has some of the best full democracies in that ranking. Countries that share Western culture, such as Australia and New Zealand, also hold prominent positions as full democracies. In Africa and Asia, the vast majority of countries have authoritarian regimes. In Asia, there are only two full democracies: Japan and Taiwan (until 2023, South Korea was also considered a full democracy). In Africa, there is only one full democracy: Mauritius.

Sánchez's proposal would harm democratic countries

Given its founding principles, it would be logical for the UN to prioritize democratic principles when granting access and voting rights to its members, otherwise there is a risk that authoritarian regimes will end up imposing their agenda on the organization. The reform proposed by Sánchez would prioritize population size, without considering respect for democracy, which would not benefit the inhabitants of countries subjected to authoritarian regimes, but would only serve to consolidate those regimes. This reform would shield dictatorships like China and harm democratic countries, diminishing their weight and influence in the UN. In this sense, rather than acting as a European ambassador to China, Sánchez seems to be acting as a Chinese ambassador to Europe, favoring the interests of an anti-democratic regime that does not respect human rights.

---

Photo: La Moncloa. The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, shaking hands with the Chinese communist dictator Xi Jinping on April 11, 2026, during the Spanish socialist leader's visit to China.