Chinese FM urges US to immediately lift blockade, sanctions against Cuba

When asked to comment on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's announcement on sanction imposition on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Armed Forces Minister General Alvaro Lopez Miera and Interior Minister Lazaro Alberto Alvarez Casas, citing human rights violations as the reason, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday that China firmly opposes the US using the so-called human rights pretext to impose unilateral sanctions and interfere in Cuba's internal affairs. 

The US announced its first sanctions on Friday against Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel for his role "in the Cuban regime's brutality toward the Cuban people," AFP reported.

The US has maintained a comprehensive blockade and illegal sanctions against Cuba for over 60 years, causing severe suffering to the Cuban people. Sanctions should be lifted immediately, rather than intensified, Lin said.

Lin said that China firmly supports Cuba in pursuing a development path that suits its national conditions and in safeguarding its sovereignty and dignity. 

Lin urged the US to immediately lift the blockade and sanctions against Cuba and to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. "I would like to emphasize that if the US truly cares about human rights, it should reflect on its own human rights violations in Guantanamo and around the world over the years," Lin said.