Cuba advocates an inclusive world order and praises China's efforts

Beijing, Jul 12 (RHC) Cuba's Deputy Prime Minister Jorge Luis Tapia today advocated the establishment of a just and inclusive international order and praised China's efforts in this regard.

During a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, the Caribbean leader said that a new global governance should make it possible to reduce the existing gap between the North and the South and provide differential treatment to developing countries.

"The promise of developed countries to contribute 0.7 percent of their GDP has not been fulfilled for more than four decades," he recalled.

The Cuban Deputy Prime Minister also stressed that the millions of dollars that these countries invest in the arms race are proof that there are sufficient resources to promote international cooperation.

"For Cuba, the fulfillment of the UN 2030 Agenda is a state commitment and a national priority," he added. Tapia assured that even in the complex inflationary scenario that characterizes the country, the largest of the Antilles is one of the countries in the Latin American region that invests the most in aid and social security.

"However, the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against our country is the main obstacle to our development and therefore to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda," he warned.

According to the leader, the restrictions resulting from this siege and the inclusion of Cuba in the arbitrary U.S. list of countries sponsoring terrorism "have an impact on the national financial panorama, which faces an unstable, undiversified and unsustainable access to sources of financing for development.

Tapia also praised China's efforts to promote an agenda in line with the legitimate interests of the countries of the Global South.

He said that the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development, in which he is participating, deserves all the credit "for contributing to the objective of placing development as the main priority of the international agenda".

"As expressed by President Miguel Díaz-Canel in his video message to this Forum, the Global Development Initiative (GDI) proposed by President Xi Jinping represents a very timely framework for promoting new spaces for cooperation in economic, social and environmental matters," he stressed.

The Cuban leader highlighted the global prestige of the Asian giant and the importance of an initiative such as this, which provides resources to developing countries for the implementation of projects with high social impact.

Tapia took advantage of the meeting to reiterate the gratitude of the Cuban people and government to China for the recent donation, "which shows its sincere support in difficult times and the special nature of bilateral relations."

"Cuba is willing to place its best practices and experiences at the service of the countries of the South through the GDI," he concluded.

This year's edition of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development brings together high-level representatives from more than 50 nations and international organizations. (Source: Prensa Latina)