Beijing, Nov 24 (RHC) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel will begin a two-day official visit to China in the coming hours, which the government expects to give renewed impetus to the development of bilateral relations that have been uninterrupted for 62 years.
The President and his accompanying delegation will arrive in Beijing from Türkiye as part of an international tour that previously took them to Algeria and Russia to deepen multi-sectoral and mutually beneficial cooperation with all these countries.
This is Diaz-Canel's second visit to China as head of state, having previously been here in November 2018.
Local authorities highlighted this week that he will be the first ruler from Latin America and the Caribbean to travel to the Asian giant after the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China, during which President Xi Jinping was re-elected Secretary General of that group for a third term.
Díaz-Canel’s visit takes place in the context of 62 years of diplomatic relations between Havana and Beijing, characterized by their constant progress, their uninterrupted nature, and the willingness of their highest authorities to provide them with growing strength.
Recently, Havana's ambassador to Beijing, Carlos Miguel Pereira, highlighted the capacity of both countries to transcend in time, and maintain a fluid exchange of cooperation and dialogue at the highest level, as well as the fundamental role of their respective historical generations in establishing the foundations of ties.
He underscored the work, consensus, and permanent contact of the current leaders to outline a road map to ensure greater rapprochement, while their governments share common visions in defense of international law, true multilateralism, and the just causes of developing countries.
Pereira remarked "China's systematic, firm and permanent support against the blockade" of the United States, through multiple official pronouncements and consecutive votes since 1992 in the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN).
At the same time, he recalled Havana's consistent position in support of China's right to protect its territorial integrity, sovereignty, democracy, human rights, and the affairs of Tibet, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Xinjiang.
On the other hand, he referred to the growth of trade, economic, financial, and cooperation ties, with China ratified as Cuba's second-largest trading partner, a key source of financing on favorable terms, and a participant in projects of great impact for the national socio-economic development program.
This was reflected in the signing of the plan that implements the insertion of the island in the initiative of the Silk Belt and Road, the accession to the energy alliance of the mechanism and the premiere of a pavilion in the digital platform JD.com, which allowed the introduction of new Cuban products in high demand in the local market.
In the Ambassador's opinion, today the prospects are great and promising, as there is interest from Chinese companies in joining Cuban projects, such as the establishment of a wholesale market.
He commented on the good progress of biotechnology, with 18 years of uninterrupted cooperation and tangible fruits such as the creation of joint ventures and the joint development of the PanCorona vaccine, already patented and designed against different strains of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
He mentioned the efforts to reestablish the flow of Chinese visitors to Cuba through charter flights, the priority given to investments in the Mariel economic development zone and Havana's technological park, and bringing state and non-state entrepreneurs closer together.
Likewise, Pereira cited the potentialities in Spanish language teaching and medical services, where there is an opportunity to expand collaboration to other specialties beyond ophthalmology. (Source: Prensa Latina).
