Current Status: Active

Cátedra China is a Spain-based organization founded in 2012. The think tank describes its mission using language that closely mirrors CCP narratives, presenting itself as a bridge between “knowledgeable and lovers of current and historical China” from Spanish and Chinese academic, business, media, and institutional circles. It organizes conferences, seminars, and political dialogue events, and publishes the magazine Mundo Global. The think tank has ties to the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), a government body that aims to cultivate foreign networks and relationships. The association has a partnership with the Spain-China People’s Friendship Association (AACHE), an organization established in 2019 at CPAFFC’s encouragement. In 2020, a report from the US State Department characterized CPAFFC as being used to “directly and malignly influence state and local leaders.” In 2024, it inaugurated Fundación Cátedra China, with the aim of strengthening knowledge and relations between Spain, the European Union, and the People’s Republic of China. The organization maintains close ties with the Chinese embassy in Spain. In February 2021, former Chinese Ambassador to Spain Wu Haitao (吳海濤) met with Cátedra China’s executive committee, calling it “necessary and valuable.” In March 2024, the think tank launched the “China Comienza Aquí” (China Begins Here) programme, in collaboration with the PRC embassy in Spain. The program arranges meetings between Chinese diplomats and Spanish university students in what the organization describes as informal, “protocol-free” exchanges. Current Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing (姚敬) has attended multiple Cátedra China events and, in November 2024, jointly presented with Cátedra China on China’s 15th Five-Year Plan – a strategic roadmap for China to follow until 2030.  Marcelo Muñoz is the founder and current honorary president. When interviewed by Chinese state broadcaster CGTN Europe, he said he  “was the first ever Spaniard to open a business in China” in 1978. Muñoz has authored multiple books and writes regularly for Spanish outlets. In interviews with Chinese state media, he echoes Beijing’s narratives, describing China’s transformation as one of humanity’s greatest transformations.  

The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español), or PSOE, is a social democratic political party in Spain. Founded in 1879, the PSOE is Spain’s oldest existing political party and has governed longer than any other party in modern democratic Spain. The party was led in 2026 by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has served since 2018 and forms a coalition government with the left-wing Sumar party, established in November 2023. The PSOE is a member of the Party of European Socialists, the Progressive Alliance, and the Socialist International, representing center-left social democratic politics in Spain.

The Málaga Film Festival (Festival de Málaga) was established in 1998, organized by the Málaga City Council to promote Spanish cinema and contribute to the development of Málaga, a city on the Mediterranean coast in Andalusia, as a cultural city. The festival showcases feature films, documentaries, and short films in Spanish. In 2024, it became a FIAPF-accredited member (International Federation of Film Producers Associations) as a competitive film festival specializing in Spanish-language cinema. The same year, the festival opened with “Dragonkeeper,” a Spain-China animated co-production produced by the state-owned China Film Group (CFG), China Film Animation (a division of CFG), Movistar Plus+ (Spain’s largest subscription television platform), and the Spanish film production company Atresmedia Cine.

The Communist Party of Spain (Partido Comunista de España), or PCE, was founded on November 14, 1921, following a split in the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party. Headquartered in Madrid, the Marxist-Leninist party maintains the monthly publication Mundo Obrero and operates the Communist Youth Union of Spain. The party played a central role during the Spanish Civil War and currently holds seven seats in the Spanish Congress of Deputies as part of the United Left coalition. President José Luis Centella, former General Secretary from 2009-2018, who assumed the presidency around 2018, has been prominently featured in Chinese state media. Centella has made multiple visits to China, meeting with Communist Party of China officials and speaking at CCP-organized forums.