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China, Cuba reaffirm strong bilateral ties
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Cuba is a long time friend of China. When President Xi Jinping visited the Caribbean state last July he praised the Cuban government for opening the economy.
Xi’s two day visit was his last stop on a four-country Latin American trip. About 50 Chinese entrepreneurs traveled to Havana with Xi.
They were attracted by foreign investment incentives and the future Mariel free trade zone that will be established outside the capital.
China is Cuba’s biggest creditor and second largest trading partner after Venezuela. In addition, Cuba is China’s largest partner in the Caribbean, with bilateral trade now standing at a little over US$2 billion annually, according to Chinese government data.
China exports buses and telecommunications equipment to Cuba and Air China will launch direct flights between Beijing and Havana beginning on September 28.
Cuban Consul General in Shanghai Ariel Lorenzo Rodriguez said during a recent seminar that the friendship between Cuba and China has deep historical roots. “Cuba and China have persisted with socialism and the leadership of our respective Communist parties. We share experiences and mutual lessons that are very useful for the construction of socialism, based on our own realities.”
The consul general recalled that in 1847 more than 300 Chinese peasants boarded a ship in Xiamen that was bound for Cuba. It arrived in Havana months later although only 206 Chinese had survived the journey.
Long history of contribution
He said that trip marked the beginning of a long history of contributions by Chinese people to Cuba, with some even giving their lives in the struggle for independence.
“This migration process gave rise to the settlement of the traditions, philosophy and idiosyncrasy of Chinese culture, which was integrated into Cuban culture in a dynamic way,” he said when he spoke at a seminar commemorating the 55th anniversary of Sino-Cuba diplomatic relations. It was jointly held by Cuba Consulate General Shanghai and the Shanghai Institute for International Studies.
He also quoted from Cuban patriot Gonzalo de Quesada: “There was not a Cuban-Chinese defector; there was not a Cuban-Chinese traitor,” a reference to the contribution of Chinese nationals during the country’s wars of independence.
He added that Cuba supports the establishment of the China-Latin America and Caribbean Cooperation Forum through CELAC (Community of Latin America and Caribbean States), which is designed to be the core mechanism steering political and economic relations between China and the region.
Lorenzo noted that Cuba was the first country in the western hemisphere to recognize the People’s Republic of China, doing so on September 28, 1960.
Cuba was a young state at the time, having achieved independence on January 1, 1959.
“This happened in a unique way: through a popular and unanimous vote of more than a million people gathered in Revolution Square in Havana, along with the political will of its top leaders headed by the Commander in Chief, Fidel Castro Ruz,” he said.
“In November 1993, when we faced the rigors of the special period, President Jiang Zemin was the only head of state who visited Cuba,” added Lorenzo. “He showed the confidence of his people, government and Party in our resilience and victory. In 2001, President Jiang Zemin again visited Cuba.”
“Comrades Fidel Castro Ruz visited China in 1995 and 2003, and Raul Castro Ruz in 1997, 2005 and 2012.
“The ex-President of the People’s Republic of China, Comrade Hu Jintao visited Cuba twice, in 2004 and 2008,” said Lorenzo.
The consul general concluded that sustained exchanges and high level visits have strengthened mutual political trust between the two nations.
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