Handpicked communist president from Cuba visits Communist China and celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two regimes.

A long relationship that began while Cuba had normal diplomatic relations with the United States.

Diaz-Canel met with Xi Jinping earlier today.

 

Castro regime president Miguel Diaz-Canel met in Beijing on November 25, 2022 with president for life Xi Jinping.

The relationship between the two dictatorships stretches back 62 years, and began while the United States had a policy of patience and forbearance at the time believing they could maintain normal diplomatic relations with Havana. They were wrong, and the relationship between Beijing and Havana has grown closer since 1989.

President Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, exchanged congratulatory messages with Raul Castro Ruz, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, and Miguel Diaz-Canel in September 2020 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two communist dictatorships.

In September 1960 the Cuban government diplomatically recognized the Peoples Republic of China. Between 1960 and 1964 the two regimes would collaborate closely together. 

Ernesto 'Che' Guevara and Chairman Mao Zedong dining in 1960

Ernesto "Che" Guevara with a Cuban delegation visited Mainland China and met with Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and other high ranking Chinese officials in November 1960 to discuss conditions in Cuba and in Latin America, and the prospects for communist revolution in the Western Hemisphere.

This was at a time that Havana still had normal diplomatic relations with the United States. Diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States were severed on January 3, 1961.

Relations between China and Cuba cooled in 1964 when the Castro regime sided with the Soviet Union in the Sino-Soviet  split, but warmed again in 1989 following the Tiananmen Massacre. The Castro regime was one of the few governments to support the massacre, and the Castro regime had distanced itself from the Soviet Union viewing Perestroika and Glasnost  as existential threats to their rule.

Chinese Premier Li Peng and Fidel Castro in Havana in 1995

Cuba's relationship with the Soviet Union provided Havana with expertise in biological warfare and biotech that had been denied the Chinese due to the above mentioned split. The Castro regime beginning in the late 1980s began offering that knowledge to their counterparts in Beijing and signed a  formal agreement to produce monoclonal antibodies in 2002.

The two regimes worked closely together during the COVID-19 pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019.  Above is a video presentation given in April 2020 on this relationship.

At the United Nations Human Rights Council on July 1, 2020 the Castro regime took the lead in backing the new security law in Hong Kong that effectively ends autonomy there.

Diaz-Canel doubled down on Havana's alliance with Beijing during this visit to mainland China.

Communist China and Cuba celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations

A long relationship that began while Cuba had normal diplomatic relations with the United States.

Chinese Premier Li Peng and Fidel Castro in Havana in 1995

President Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, exchanged congratulatory messages with Raul Castro Ruz, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two communist dictatorships.

In September 1960 the Cuban government diplomatically recognized the Peoples Republic of China. Between 1960 and 1964 the two regimes would collaborate closely together. 

Ernesto "Che" Guevara with a Cuban delegation visited Mainland China and met with Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and other high ranking Chinese officials in November 1960 to discuss conditions in Cuba and in Latin America, and the prospects for communist revolution in the Western Hemisphere.

Ernesto 'Che' Guevara and Chairman Mao Zedong dining in 1960

This was at a time that Havana still had normal diplomatic relations with the United States. Diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States were severed on January 3, 1961.

Relations between China and Cuba cooled in 1964 when the Castro regime sided with the Soviet Union in the Sino-Soviet  split, but warmed again in 1989 following the Tiananmen Massacre. The Castro regime was one of the few governments to support the massacre, and the Castro regime had distanced itself from the Soviet Union viewing Perestroika and Glasnost  as existential threats to their rule.

Cuba's relationship with the Soviet Union provided Havana with expertise in biological warfare and biotech that had been denied the Chinese due to the above mentioned split. The Castro regime beginning in the late 1980s began offering that knowledge to their counterparts in Beijing and signed a  formal agreement to produce monoclonal antibodies in 2002.

The two regimes have been working closely together during the COVID-19 pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019.  Above is a video presentation given in April 2020 on this relationship.

At the United Nations Human Rights Council on July 1, 2020 the Castro regime took the lead in backing the new security law in Hong Kong that effectively ends autonomy there.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel and his wife with President Xi Jinping and his wife in Beijing,  Nov. 8, 2018.

 

 

Tornado in Havana: Tragedy and Questions

In the eye of the tornado, there's no more high and low, no floor and sky. - Francis Alys 

Damage from tornado that hit Havana on January 27, 2019

Tornado hit Havana, Cuba on Sunday, January 27, 2019 and according to official channels heavily impacted the neighborhoods there of Santo Suárez, Luyanó, Vía Blanca, Regla and Chibás. Six were killed and over 200 injured, out of which 11 are seriously injured.

Initial news reports stated that tornado had winds as high as 62 miles per hour. On January 29, 2019 the estimates of tornado strength were revised by official channels. Reuters cited the Cuban weather service’s Jose Rubiera who said that the tornado “pummeled its way 7.15 miles (11.5 km) through Havana over 16 minutes, at times reaching 0.62 miles (1 km) in diameter.”..."The devastation wrought suggested it was an “EF4” tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale, the second most powerful category with winds up to 200 miles per hour (322 km per hour), Rubiera told state-run news agency Prensa Latina.”

Tornado damage in Havana

Havana's infrastructure was allowed to degrade for 60 years by the Castro regime that detested its bourgeois past. Tragically, homes that can collapse of their own weight do not do well during a tornado. 

First question that arises: Why was there such a big discrepancy between initial reports of the tornado's strength (62 mph) and later reports (up to 200 mph)?

The tornado hit late Sunday night (January 27th) but despite the carnage, hunger and thirst that did not stop authorities from carrying out their torchlight march to celebrate Jose Marti's birthday on Monday, January 28th, which has led to criticism.

Furthermore, reports emerged that the Cuban government was not providing free humanitarian aide, but selling it at low (subsidized) prices. Finding this hard to believe asked a reporter on the ground, over twitter,  who confirmed it.

John: They are selling food at reduced prices, something those affected say should be free. Here is a list of prices. pic.twitter.com/52SD0RCsWe

— Hatzel Vela (@HatzelVelaWPLG) January 31, 2019

Shortly afterwards came across a tweet by Betsy Díaz Velázquez‏ , the Cuban Minister of Interior Commerce, who also gave a breakdown of prices for the purchase of assistance. in areas impacted by the tornado.

This was compounded by news of Cubans trying to directly provide aide to tornado victims being fined, having the aide confiscated and turned away for trying to provide them food and refreshments.

🇨🇺 'La policía no deja que la gente entre a darle la ayuda a los damnificados' #TornadoEnLaHabana @jdanielferrer @DamasdBlanco @PanAmPost_es @DLasAmericas @eliecer_cuba @asierramadero @soyconservador @jguaido @mluciaramirez @abc_es @larazon_es pic.twitter.com/bZco8kdGD6

— Democristianos Cuba (@CubaPdc) February 3, 2019

Subsidized prices for food and water are no good for people who have lost everything, and do not have a centavo to their name. This leads to a second question: What are regime officials thinking?


The encounter between president Diaz Canel and residents in Regla who chased after his government entourage shouting "shameless liars" is an indication that this approach is having explosive consequences socially. This leads to a third question: Are regime officials that out of touch or that brazen that they can get away with this without creating even more popular discontent?

Meanwhile in South Florida, there are attempts underway to get humanitarian assistance to the tornado victims in Havana.