Spain is actively undercutting the very alliance that undergirds its own security. Madrid is working with American foes, discarding its commitment to NATO, and threatening key U.S. allies. The United States must be clear with its longtime friend that such behavior won’t be without consequence.
Spain has decided to award a multimillion-dollar contract to Huawei, a Chinese company de facto owned and controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. On July 12, Spain’s Interior Ministry acknowledged that it had awarded a $14.3 million contract to Huawei to manage judicially authorized wiretaps used by law enforcement and intelligence agencies. According to Cybernews, this decision “didn’t sit well with sectors such as the National Police and the Civil Guard.” And for good reason.
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The U.S. considers Huawei to be a “criminal enterprise.” The Justice Department has long had a case against the CCP-controlled conglomerate, charging it with a “long-running practice of using fraud and deception to misappropriate sophisticated technology from U.S. counterparts.”
Huawei has been credibly accused of stealing trade secrets from the U.S. and its allies, playing a key role in the industrial espionage that underpins Beijing’s statecraft. According to the U.S. government, Huawei’s tactics include racketeering, bank fraud, and intellectual property theft. Huawei, it is clear, is not a normal company. It is a tool of the CCP.
Indeed, both the Trump and Biden administrations actively worked to discourage allies in Europe and elsewhere from using Huawei, recognizing the threat that the conglomerate posed to American national security. Evidence of Huawei’s shady dealings has only grown in recent years.
Madrid’s decision to award the contract to the telecommunications giant is a finger-in-the-eye to Washington. The decision is not only neglectful of Spain’s own internal security concerns, but it presents real problems with Spain’s NATO allies, many of whom might now be understandably reluctant to share sensitive information with the country.
The information that would be under Huawei’s purview is of an extremely sensitive nature. It is safe to say that whatever Huawei knows, the CCP knows too — and what China knows, so too will its allies in Russia, North Korea, and Iran.
Spain isn’t just letting the CCP in through the back door. The nation is literally providing an open house viewing for Beijing, which Defense Department officials believe to be the preeminent threat. It’s a conscious decision on Madrid’s part, and a regrettable one. It also hints at a broader pattern of Spain discarding the concerns of its security partners.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has refused U.S.-backed efforts to get NATO members to increase defense spending to 5% of their GDP, labeling it “unreasonable.” For years, Spain has been accused of being a “free rider,” allowing the U.S. and other allies to carry the defense burden. In 2024, by some estimates, Spain was the lowest spender in the alliance, contributing a paltry 1.2% of its GDP.
SPAIN’S SANCHEZ FAILS WITH TRUMP AND FLAILS AT HOME
Spain, it seems, is happy to let the U.S. provide its defense while simultaneously cozying up to China. Meanwhile, Sanchez has attacked U.S. allies who, unlike Spain, are expending resources to counter shared foes. Sanchez compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his government has opened a “war crimes” investigation into the Jewish state’s leaders.
The Trump administration has rightly prioritized burden sharing among allies. Spain might not have gotten the memo, but the country’s ruling government should be read the riot act. Real allies contribute to alliances. They don’t undercut them.
The writer is a Washington-based foreign affairs analyst. His views are his own.