China has pledged to support Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions. Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun made the pledge on Monday as Beijing and Havana marked 66 years of diplomatic relations. This commitment comes after US President Donald Trump described Cuba as an "absolutely failed state" and "a haven for foreign adversaries" on America's doorstep at the UN General Assembly last week.
Cuba is currently 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. The crisis intensified sharply this year after oil deliveries from Venezuela and Mexico, which together accounted for around 86% of Cuba's imported crude oil last year, dried up.
The US has been putting pressure on Cuba, with Trump declaring Havana's policies an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to national security and foreign policy in a January 2026 executive order. 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.
Cuba rejects Washington's 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 "multidimensional" economic war and says restrictions designed to deter other countries from supplying it with fuel amount to an "energy blockade." At the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez likened the measures to a naval blockade and called them an "act of war."
China 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. Beijing 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.
China has played a major role in Cuba's rapid expansion of solar power, supplying equipment and financing. Solar accounted for just 2% of Cuba's average daily electricity generation in January 2025; by September 2026, renewables as a whole were generating 21.4% of the country's electricity, according to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. Beijing has also provided emergency food aid, while previously restructuring Cuban debt and extending financing.
The partnership between China and Cuba gives Beijing a close political partner and a foothold for expanding Chinese trade, investment, and infrastructure projects in Latin America. Cuba has taken part in the Belt and Road Initiative, China's global infrastructure and investment program, since 2018. Havana supports Beijing on key diplomatic issues, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang, and has endorsed Xi Jinping's global initiatives.
Key points
- China vows to support Cuba against external interference.
- Cuba is enduring its worst economic crisis in decades.
- The US has been putting pressure on Cuba, accusing Havana of aligning itself with and supporting Russia, China, and Iran.
