END THE EMBARGO
China's Xi vows to support Cuba in defending its national sovereignty
Reuters
Wed, August 23, 2023
BRICS Summit in Johannesburg
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping has pledged to support Cuba's defence of its national sovereignty, opposing foreign interference and a U.S. economic blockade, and will expand strategic coordination with Havana.
Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Cuba President Miguel Diaz-Canel on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday.
"China highly appreciates Cuba's consistent firm support for China on issues involving China's core interests, and will continue to firmly support Cuba in defending its national sovereignty, opposing foreign interference and blockade, and doing its best to provide support for Cuba's economic and social development," Xi said at the meeting, according to the release.
During talks Diaz-Canel labeled Cuban-Chinese relations at an "all-time high".
"The Cuban people greatly admire President Xi Jinping and sincerely thank China for its understanding and valuable support for Cuba's just cause," Diaz-Canel said at the meeting, which was also attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The meeting between the two leaders comes months after a media report surfaced that China had reached a secret deal with Cuba to establish an electronic eavesdropping facility on the island. But the U.S. and Cuban governments cast strong doubt on the report.
China quickly denounced the U.S. government and media for releasing what it called inconsistent information, calling the allegations false.
(Reporting by Bernard Orr; Editing by Michael Perry)
Reuters
Wed, August 23, 2023
BRICS Summit in Johannesburg
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping has pledged to support Cuba's defence of its national sovereignty, opposing foreign interference and a U.S. economic blockade, and will expand strategic coordination with Havana.
Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Cuba President Miguel Diaz-Canel on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday.
"China highly appreciates Cuba's consistent firm support for China on issues involving China's core interests, and will continue to firmly support Cuba in defending its national sovereignty, opposing foreign interference and blockade, and doing its best to provide support for Cuba's economic and social development," Xi said at the meeting, according to the release.
During talks Diaz-Canel labeled Cuban-Chinese relations at an "all-time high".
"The Cuban people greatly admire President Xi Jinping and sincerely thank China for its understanding and valuable support for Cuba's just cause," Diaz-Canel said at the meeting, which was also attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The meeting between the two leaders comes months after a media report surfaced that China had reached a secret deal with Cuba to establish an electronic eavesdropping facility on the island. But the U.S. and Cuban governments cast strong doubt on the report.
China quickly denounced the U.S. government and media for releasing what it called inconsistent information, calling the allegations false.
(Reporting by Bernard Orr; Editing by Michael Perry)
Rafael Bernal
Mon, August 21, 2023
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel is due to attend the United Nations General Assembly in September, according to a Monday report by the Miami Herald.
Díaz-Canel’s high-profile New York trip will underscore the cold relationship between the island and the Biden administration, which has avoided major policy shifts on Cuba.
While the two countries have advanced modest collaboration agreements on areas such as migration, any return to Obama-era rapprochement has all but been abandoned on both sides of the Straits of Florida.
Two issues are driving the impasse: The Biden White House has maintained Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation slapped on it by former President Trump, and Cuba has not satisfied U.S. demands regarding political prisoners on the island.
Last month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken marked the second anniversary of the July 11 protests in Cuba with a call for the release of political prisoners.
Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío earlier this month dismissed U.S. concerns on the issue, saying Cuba would be open to a “reciprocal conversation” on prisoners in either country.
“I don’t believe that there’s truly a willingness to improve the relationship,” Fernández de Cossío told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell.
“We could speak of human rights between the two countries. We have serious concerns about the respect of human rights in the United States. It’s an issue which we are ready to discuss, but it has to be a comprehensive conversation,” said Fernández de Cossío.
Díaz-Canel’s visit to the General Assembly, his second, is unlikely to disentangle those knots.
Yet his presence comes amid a Cuban diplomatic push to raise the country’s profile.
Immediately before heading to New York, Díaz-Canel is due to host a Group of 77 summit in Havana, where the group’s 123 member nations and China will rally ahead of the General Assembly.
No comments:
Post a Comment