Xi Jinping reaffirms China’s support for Cuba amid US sanctions

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Sep 2025 12:11
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China and Cuba signed new agreements spanning trade, technology, and security as Xi Jinping emphasized cooperation and mutual assistance.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at the beginning of a bilateral meeting with the President of the Congo Republic, Denis Sassou Nguesso, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Thursday, September 4, 2025. (AP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday reaffirmed Beijing’s backing for Cuba in its resistance to external interference and economic blockades, underscoring the two countries’ longstanding political alliance.

Speaking after talks with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel in Beijing, Xi said, “China will continue to firmly support Cuba in its just struggle against interference and blockades,” according to state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).

Xi emphasized the importance of maintaining “sincere mutual assistance” and expanding development cooperation, adding that China is prepared to provide aid and support to Cuba “within its capabilities.”

The two leaders also oversaw the signing of several bilateral agreements covering the Belt and Road Initiative, business collaboration, global security initiatives, agriculture, and artificial intelligence, CCTV reported.

The meeting reflects the deepening partnership between Beijing and Havana as Cuba faces persistent economic difficulties under longstanding US sanctions and seeks greater engagement with China as a strategic partner.

Mankind stands between war and peace: Xi Jinping

In a different context, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned on Thursday that the world was at a crossroads between peace and war while leading China’s largest military parade alongside Russia’s Vladimir Putin and the DPRK's Kim Jong Un, marking the end of a week of high-profile diplomacy viewed as a challenge to the West.

Putin and Kim are among dozens of world leaders attending the parade, which is a large show of military equipment and troops organized to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War, which China refers to as the Japanese War of Aggression.

Analysts said the striking image of the three men walking the red carpet while chatting and shaking hands sent a message of defiance to the West as US president Donald Trump’s trade tariffs and unpredictable policies put pressure on relations with both allies and rivals.

“Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” Xi said to a crowd of over 50,000 people gathered at Tiananmen Square, adding that the Chinese people “firmly stand on the right side of history”.

Xi condemned “bullying behaviour” from certain countries in an indirect reference to the United States and declared that China was “unstoppable” as the large-scale display of military equipment was about to begin.

“Beijing is sending a message … that even if Western countries continue to sanction Russia over the Russia-Ukraine War, Beijing will not be afraid to stand by its friend,” Wen-ti Sung, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, told The Guardian.