Beijing has vowed to support Havana against external interference after the US president called for \u201cfundamental change\u201d in Cuba<\/p>\n
China has vowed to support Cuba against external interference after US President Donald Trump said Havana \u201cwill fall\u201d and called for \u201cfundamental change\u201d on the island.
\nForeign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun made the pledge on Monday as Beijing and Havana marked 66 years of diplomatic relations, saying China will support Cuba in \u201csafeguarding its national sovereignty\u201d and pursuing a \u201cdevelopment path suited to its national conditions.\u201d
\nIn an address to the UN General Assembly last week, Trump described Cuba as an \u201cabsolutely failed state\u201d and \u201ca haven for foreign adversaries\u201d on America\u2019s doorstep.
\nWhat\u2019s happening in Cuba?
\nCuba is enduring its worst economic crisis in decades, marked by chronic fuel and food shortages and prolonged blackouts. Decades of US sanctions have restricted access to financing, fuel, and equipment, compounding low domestic production, dependence on imports, and aging energy infrastructure.
\nThe crisis intensified sharply this year after oil deliveries from Venezuela and Mexico, which together accounted for around 86% of Cuba\u2019s imported crude oil last year, dried up, according to S&P Global. Venezuelan shipments stopped following the US military operation that removed President Nicolas Maduro in January, while Mexico paused deliveries as Washington threatened tariffs on countries that supply Cuba with oil.<\/p>\n
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Why is the US squeezing Cuba?
\nPressure intensified after Trump returned to office. In a January 2026 executive order, he declared Havana\u2019s policies an \u201cunusual and extraordinary threat\u201d to national security and foreign policy. The order accuses Havana of aligning itself with and supporting Russia, China, and Iran, as well as Hamas and Hezbollah. The administration says its policy is aimed at countering these perceived threats while promoting democracy and greater economic freedom in Cuba.<\/p>\n
What does Havana say?
\nCuba rejects Washington\u2019s characterization of the island as a threat to US national security and argues that the pressure campaign is intended to force political change by worsening its economic crisis. Havana has accused the US of waging a \u201cmultidimensional\u201d economic war and says restrictions designed to deter other countries from supplying it with fuel amount to an \u201cenergy blockade.\u201d At the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez likened the measures to a naval blockade and called them an \u201cact of war.\u201d<\/p>\n
What is China\u2019s position?
\nChina has framed its support for Cuba as part of a broader foreign-policy approach of defending national sovereignty, opposing external interference and sanctions, and favoring diplomacy over military coercion and regime change.
\nBeijing has invoked similar principles during the US-Israeli war against Iran this year, opposing attempts at regime change and calling for disputes to be settled through negotiations.
\nBeijing has pursued what it describes as a multipolar international order based on greater sovereign equality and a stronger voice for developing nations.
\nAddressing the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng urged the \u201crelevant country\u201d to \u201cimmediately stop using threat of force against Cuba\u201d and \u201ccompletely lift the blockade and sanctions.\u201d<\/p>\n
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How is China aiding Cuba?
\nChina has played a major role in the island\u2019s rapid expansion of solar power, supplying equipment and financing. Solar accounted for just 2% of Cuba\u2019s average daily electricity generation in January 2025; by September 2026, renewables as a whole were generating 21.4% of the country\u2019s electricity, according to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel.
\nBeijing has also provided emergency food aid, while previously restructuring Cuban debt and extending financing.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s in it for China?
\nCuba gives Beijing a close political partner and a foothold for expanding Chinese trade, investment, and infrastructure projects in Latin America. The island has taken part in the Belt and Road Initiative, China\u2019s global infrastructure and investment program, since 2018.
\nHavana supports Beijing on key diplomatic issues, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang, and has endorsed Xi Jinping\u2019s global initiatives. The partnership also gives China another supportive voice as it seeks greater coordination and influence in developing countries.<\/p>\n
Who else supports Cuba?
\nCuba has enjoyed overwhelming international support at the UN for ending the US embargo. In the latest General Assembly vote in October 2025, 165 countries backed a resolution calling for an end to the embargo; seven voted against and 12 abstained.
\nSeveral countries stepped up assistance as Cuba\u2019s crisis deepened. Mexico has sent hundreds of tonnes of food and essential supplies, Spain has reactivated a debt-conversion program, and the EU has provided funding for humanitarian aid.<\/p>\n
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Russia remains one of Cuba\u2019s closest partners, providing diplomatic and economic support, including $18 million in food assistance through the UN from 2018 to 2025, with another $2 million allocated this year. A Russian tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of crude oil in late March has been Cuba\u2019s only major oil shipment this year.
\nRussia reiterated its political backing at the UN on Saturday, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov describing Cuba\u2019s humanitarian situation as desperate and calling on Washington to lift the restrictions on the country and remove it from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Beijing has vowed to support Havana against external interference after the US president called for \u201cfundamental change\u201d in Cuba China has vowed to support Cuba against external interference after US…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39034,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t