China on Tuesday said it would stand by Cuba and offer “support and assistance” as tensions with the United States rise, pushing back against what Beijing described as growing threats from Washington towards the island nation.
China on Tuesday said it would provide Cuba with “support and assistance” amid what it described as repeated threats from the United States, weeks after Washington removed Havana’s ally in Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro.
Beijing and Havana are long-standing socialist allies, and China has consistently opposed the decades-old US economic blockade on Cuba.
Tensions have escalated this month after US President Donald Trump warned that Cuba “is ready to fall.” Trump has urged Havana to “make a deal” or face consequences similar to Venezuela, where former leader Maduro was captured during a US bombing raid on January 3 that killed dozens of people.
“China expresses its deep concern and opposition to the United States’ actions” towards Cuba, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing. He called on Washington to stop undermining regional peace and stability and urged it to “immediately lift the blockade and sanctions against Cuba.”
“China will continue to provide Cuba with as much support and assistance as possible,” Guo added.
Politico reported last week that the Trump administration is considering a naval blockade to halt oil imports into Cuba, citing a person familiar with the plan who said energy was seen as a critical pressure point.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Saturday oversaw military exercises, describing them as a deterrent against possible US aggression.
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