Chinese Ambassador to Spain Pens an Article About One China Principle

On February 26, 2025, Chinese Ambassador to Spain Yao Jing (姚敬) published an article in the digital newspaper El Periódico de España titled “There Is No Room for Ambiguity in UN General Assembly Resolution 2758.”  In the article, he argued that UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 — which transferred China’s seat in the United Nations from the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the People’s Republic of China in October 1971 — settled Taiwan’s status as part of China. Not surprisingly, Yao’s argument perfectly mirrored the Chinese Communist Party’s official position on the resolution, which holds that Taiwan is “an inalienable part of China’s territory” (中國領土不可分割的一部分), a claim known as the “One China Principle.” This principle asserts that there is only one China, that Taiwan is part of it, and that the PRC is its sole legitimate government. However, the full text of the resolution makes no mention of Taiwan or the Republic of China, nor does it make any determination about its sovereignty — it deals only with the question of who will represent China at the United Nations. Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the China-Spain Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which he said had deepened economic cooperation, trade and green energy, Yao called on Spain to “jointly defend the authority and effectiveness” of the resolution. He urged Spain to actively back the CCP’s interpretation of the 2758 resolution. However, Spain follows the One-China policy regarding Taiwan, meaning it acknowledges Beijing’s position but does not endorse China’s sovereignty over the island.