Beijing promised to “continue to support and assist within its capabilities” the island and expressed its opposition to “interference by foreign forces” in Cuba
Cuban Foreign Ministers, Bruno Rodriguez, and Chinese Foreign Ministers, Wang Yi, defended on Wednesday the consolidation of their “strategic and multifaceted” bilateral relations, during a meeting on the occasion of a session of the UN Security Council.
In a message on social media, Rodriguez said he agreed with his Chinese counterpart to “advance the consensus reached between the leaders of both countries and continue building a Community with a Shared Future.”
He also thanked “the permanent solidarity and support of the Chinese Party, Government and People, especially in the current situation in which Cuba faces threats and the extreme tightening of the US blockade, with additional measures, secondary sanctions and an energy siege”.
Last week, Cuba received the first 15 thousand tons of rice, from a new donation of 60 thousand tons in total, delivered by Beijing as emergency food assistance in the face of the serious economic crisis on the island.
Beijing promised to “continue to support and assist within its capabilities” the island and expressed its opposition to “interference by foreign forces” in Cuba, in reference to US pressure on Havana, with an oil blockade since January and the tightening of measures for vital sectors of the economy.
China, one of Cuba’s main allies and commercial partners in Asia, also denounced on Thursday “the abuse of judicial means”, following the accusation made by Washington against former Cuban president Raúl Castro for the downing of two planes in 1996.
In the escalation of tensions with Havana in recent weeks, the US government emphasized the alleged presence of Chinese military bases in Cuba, with the warning that it “will not tolerate” military bases and information collection centers of its “adversaries” on the island.
By the way, Beijing responded that “inventing pretexts and spreading rumors to defame cannot serve as justification for the brutal blockade and illegal US sanctions against Cuba.”
Cuba’s economy is suffering a prolonged crisis that has deepened over the past five years, with an economic contraction of 15%, according to official data.
Havana and Beijing maintain close political and economic relations, with the Asian state standing out as one of the main allies of the island’s leaders.
