China backs Cuba during tensions with US

Beijing has pledged to support Havana against President Donald Trump’s threats

China has voiced support for Cuba’s sovereignty after the US labeled the island’s socialist government a security threat.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, in Beijing on Thursday.

“China firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security, opposes unwarranted interference by external forces, and rejects any attempt to deprive the Cuban people of their rights to survival and development,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said after the meeting.

Lin added that China is ready to support Cuba “to the best of its ability.”

Parrilla wrote on X that the sides “affirmed the special and strategic nature of the historical ties between the two socialist countries.”

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Last week, US President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in relations with Cuba, accusing the island of aligning itself with “hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors.” He said Cuba’s military cooperation and contacts with Russia, China, Iran, as well as Palestinian armed groups Hamas and Hezbollah, “directly threaten” US national security.

“The United States has zero tolerance for the depredations of the communist Cuban regime,” Trump’s executive order said.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel rejected the allegations. “Cuba is not a terrorist country. Cuba is also not a threat to the security of the United States. We do not protect terrorists,” he said on Thursday.

Díaz-Canel said Cuba is ready for dialogue with the US “without pressure and without preconditions, and on the basis of equality and respect.”

Last month, the US abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a commando raid on his compound in Caracas. Maduro denied drug-trafficking and weapons charges when he was brought before a New York court.

Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have also made threats toward the left-wing governments of Colombia and Nicaragua. Trump hosted Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House this week, with both leaders describing the meeting as cordial.