China has pledged continued support for Cuba as the island grapples with worsening fuel shortages, pushing back against what Beijing called external pressure on Havana.
“China firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding national security and sovereignty, and opposes external interference,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing on Tuesday.
He said China would continue providing assistance and rejected what he described as moves that undermine the Cuban people’s right to basic subsistence and development.
The comments came a day after the United Nations voiced concern over “growing fuel shortages” in Cuba and their impact on everyday life, following threats by US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on any country supplying oil to the Caribbean nation.
US pressure on Cuba
Washington has stepped up pressure on Havana since early January, after a US military operation abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro — a key ally of Cuba — and as part of a broader effort to isolate governments it considers hostile.
In a late-January executive order, Trump labelled Cuba an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security, declaring a national emergency and opening the door to tougher economic measures.
Cuba relies heavily on imported fuel to power its electricity generation, transport and food distribution, making supply disruptions especially damaging for the already struggling economy.
