China pledged on Wednesday to stand by Cuba against sanctions and foreign interference, regardless of how the international situation changes. During a meeting in Beijing, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez that China would firmly support Cuba in safeguarding its sovereignty.
The meeting occurred just days after the US State Department sanctioned two Chinese state-linked firms, China National Electronic Import and Export Company and Beijing H&C Technologies. Washington accused these companies of working with a Cuban arms procurement company to supply military equipment to the island this year. The sanctions also targeted tankers and entities linked to Cuba’s oil shipping network.
China’s foreign ministry condemned the US measures the following day, with spokesman Guo Jiakun calling them illegal and an exercise of “long-arm jurisdiction.” On Saturday, the commerce ministry urged Washington to reverse the sanctions.
Rodriguez, who visited Beijing as a special envoy in February, thanked China for its long-standing support in shifting Cuba's energy mix. He described the current situation as a US fuel blockade. Since January, only one Russian tanker carrying 730,000 barrels has reached the island, and that supply was exhausted by the end of April.
Cuba has faced at least seven nationwide blackouts this year. In May, Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy stated the country had run out of diesel and fuel oil. In response, President Xi approved $80 million in emergency aid in January for electrical equipment, along with a donation of 60,000 tonnes of rice.
While Cuba has added about 1,300 megawatts of solar capacity over the last two years using Chinese equipment and financing, grid instability means much of that power is lost. A US State Department fact sheet cited a July report alleging that Havana’s partnerships with China and Russia have supplied surveillance technology and military hardware.
During the talks, Rodriguez also met with Wang Huning, China’s top political adviser, and officials from the party’s International Department and the China International Development Cooperation Agency. Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga also attended the discussions.
