08 September 2025

President Xi Jinping has told President Díaz-Canel that China “is willing to continue providing assistance and support to Cuba to the extent of its possibilities.”

His remarks follow from an important bilateral meeting that took place in Moscow in May when both leaders attended Russia’s celebration of its World War II victory over fascism. At the time, China’s President noted that relations with Cuba were at “a new stage featuring deeper political mutual trust, closer strategic coordination and more solid popular support.” (Cuba Briefing 12 May 2025).

Subsequently in late June, the Chinese government’s Special Representative for Latin American Affairs, Qiu Xiaoqi, paid an unusually long ten-day visit to Cuba involving high-level meetings, “in-depth” exchanges, and a country-wide tour focussed on practical cooperation.

Following the visit, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement that “China is willing to follow through on the important common understandings reached between the two heads of state, enhance bilateral exchanges, deepen practical cooperation, and continuously build a China-Cuba community with a shared future.”

China’s MFA also recognised “Cuba’s willingness to develop business cooperation projects that will bring mutual benefits,” before describing relations as strategic and special, and as serving as an example among socialist countries. It also noted that relations between the two Communist parties and countries had “shown fresh vibrancy” (Cuba Briefing 30 June 2025).

At the time the Cuban Presidency website quoted President Díaz-Canel as saying ties between the two countries were entering a new, “more solid,” phase, confirming “the political will to advance relations and find joint solutions at the highest level.” It had been agreed in Moscow, Cuban reporting noted, that “bi-national cooperation” would be expanded and strengthened in areas including biotechnology, tourism, and infrastructure development.

Xi’s confirmation of renewed Chinese support came on the same day that Cuba’s President participated with other world leaders – including Russia’s President Putin and North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un – in events to mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan and the end of the second world war.

Díaz-Canel promises a more favourable business environment

Xinhua, China’s official news agency, quoted China’s President as telling Díaz-Canel in Beijing that the two sides should now seize the opportunity and mark the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations “to elevate bilateral ties to a higher level.” Xi also said that both Cuba and China should continue to mutually assist one another “and systematically promote development cooperation.” In doing so, he urged the implementation by both sides of China’s Global Security Initiative, Global Civilisation Initiative, and Global Governance Initiative. China will, he said, “continue to firmly support Cuba’s just struggle against interference and the blockade.”

According to Xinhua, in his response, Diaz-Canel emphasised that Cuba looks forward to “further strengthening all-round cooperation and high-quality Belt and Road co-operation and stands ready to provide a more favourable business environment for Chinese enterprises.” It also noted that a joint statement on accelerating the building of the China-Cuba community with a shared future was issued and multiple bilateral cooperation documents were signed.

Official Cuban reporting quoted President Díaz-Canel as thanking President Xi “for his deep personal involvement and sensitivity in issues related to Cuba and for leading the exceptional support that the Asian nation is providing to the island.”

He also told China’s President that relations are “indestructible,” and that Cuba was “honoured to be the first country in Latin America and the Caribbean to build a Community of Shared Future” with China.” Prior to departing from Havana Díaz-Canel had written on X that Cuba supports China’s Global Governance Initiative as it “will contribute to the reform of the global governance system and ensure the construction of a Community of a Shared Future.”

China’s concept of a ‘shared future’ envisions a world where countries with different systems, ideologies, and levels of development come together to pursue common interests, uphold shared rights, and fulfil common responsibilities.

Cuban reporting additionally quoted President Xi as having told Díaz-Canel, “you convened an event for this important anniversary in Havana, and you personally led it, which fully demonstrates the special friendship between China and Cuba, for which I express my high appreciation.” He also asked Díaz-Canel to convey his greetings to “comrade Raúl Castro.”

Later in a speech to mark the 65th anniversary of bilateral relations, the Chinese Vice President, Han Zheng, noted that the meeting between President Xi Jinping and his Cuban counterpart had allowed them “to reach a new consensus to continue consolidating the close relationship between the Chinese and Cuban parties, governments, and peoples.” Responding Díaz-Canel said that the meeting had enabled them “to renew concepts about what cooperation between China and Cuba should look like in the key areas that involve the economic and social development of our country.” “We have found,” he said, “cooperation models of common interest that guarantee mutual benefit and allow for integration among those participating in these projects.” See also China section below.

The Cuban Presidency website indicated that in Beijing eleven cooperation documents were signed. Among them were agreements related to the Belt and Road Initiative, political consultations, practical cooperation, cultural exchanges, and China’s Global Security Initiative. Commitments were also made on agricultural cooperation, territorial cooperation, artificial intelligence, traditional medicine, quality infrastructure, and on press, film, and television. No further details were provided.

In Beijing, Díaz-Canel met with Li Xi, the Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, who previously visited Cuba and recently discussed party organisation and discipline with Cuba’s Foreign Minister, and with Han Zheng, China’s Vice President, among others. The Cuban delegation in Beijing included the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Investment, Energy and Mines, Communications, the President of the Central Bank, and the President of BioCubaFarma.

China is presently involved in the construction of seven solar parks in six Cuban provinces, has over ten joint projects with Cuba mainly in high-tech areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, neuroscience, and nanotechnology, has several joint research institutes located in China in these and other areas, is donating transport equipment and rice, and is cooperating in higher education and on various joint research programmes. It also maintains a close working relationship with Cuba’s armed forces and Cuba’s interior ministry.

Cuba promises Vietnam to eliminate investment and trade bureaucracy

Cuba’s President travelled to Beijing from Vietnam. There he participated in events marking the 80th anniversary of the proclamation of Vietnamese independence on the first leg of a tour that also took in Laos.

In Hanoi at the end of meetings with senior figures from the Vietnamese Communist Party, government and business leaders, both sides signed a lengthy joint communique that included language relating to previously expressed Vietnamese concerns about Cuban bureaucracy and the slow pace at which projects the country is committed to in Cuba are moving forward (Cuba Briefing 28 July 2025).

In a section dealing with both nations desire “to promote and deepen bilateral economic, trade, and investment cooperation,” especially in strategic and potentially new areas, the communique notes that those involved in the high level meetings “called on the relevant authorities in both countries to increase exchanges and coordination to eliminate difficulties and obstacles, and to make full use of the Vietnam-Cuba Trade Agreement to increase and diversify trade volumes.” The document also noted that “the Cuban side reiterated its support and encouragement of the presence and participation of Vietnamese companies and projects in Cuba’s economic and social development process and assured that it will continue to create favourable conditions for this purpose.”

To accelerate cooperation both sides also agreed to a coordinated “review and evaluation of the effectiveness of cooperation mechanisms and agreements” and to assign to specific ministries the development of new methods and forms of cooperation …. appropriate to each country.” Details of some of the sectors the two nations have agreed to focus on will appear in the next issue.

Highlights in this issue:

• US Justice Department backs Exxon in its Helms Burton lawsuit against CIMEX and CUPET
• Private sector involvement in poultry and egg production spurring dollarisation
• Hotel occupancy in Cuba falls to 21.5% in the first half of 2025
• Possible Chinese investment in Cuban agro-industrial sugar sector discussed
• Cuba’s official media laud relations with North Korea

08 September 2025, Issue 1292

The Caribbean Council is able to provide further detail about all of the stories in Cuba Briefing. If you would like a more detailed insight into any of the content of today’s issue, please get in touch