Relationship dossier
Spain
Taiwan
Relationship assessment
Pragmatic economic ties coexist with Spain’s one-China policy and the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
Spain toward Taiwan
+15Spain has participated in a bilateral agreement with Taiwan to avoid double taxation, providing a concrete framework for economic cooperation. Spain does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan under its one-China policy.
Taiwan toward Spain
+15Taiwan has participated in a bilateral agreement with Spain to avoid double taxation, supporting economic relations. Taiwan does not have formal diplomatic relations with Spain.
Overall relationship
+10The relationship combines practical economic cooperation, including a bilateral tax agreement, with the constraint that Spain follows a one-China policy and does not recognize Taiwan as a separate diplomatic partner. This supports a limited but functional relationship rather than a close diplomatic partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Spain and Taiwan maintain pragmatic economic and functional relations despite Spain’s adherence to a one-China policy and lack of formal diplomatic relations. A bilateral agreement to avoid double taxation provides a concrete framework for cooperation. The relationship is therefore substantive in limited areas, but is not a formal diplomatic partnership.
Key developments
Spain and Taiwan concluded an agreement to avoid double taxation, creating a framework for economic cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral economic and functional cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of direct government engagement beyond the tax agreement is uncertain.