China pledges $100 mn to Cuba, discusses new debt terms: minister

HAVANA

China has donated $100 million to Cuba to help it survive a crippling economic crisis exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, the island nation’s Deputy Prime Minister Alejandro Gil has said.    

The donation came as Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel concluded a visit to China, part of a rare foreign trip.    

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Diaz-Canel met on Nov. 25 and “the offer arose of a donation of around $100 million by China,” Gil told Cuban state television on Nov. 26.    

Gil, who is also Cuba’s economy minister, said the money would go toward “priorities” on the island, which has been rocked by its worst economic crisis in three decades.    

Diaz-Canel concluded his visit to China on Nov. 25 and continued on a global tour designed to gain support for Cuba in renovating an electrical system that has failed repeatedly, causing frequent blackouts.    

Gil said leaders of the two countries also discussed “the subject of the debt” that Cuba has accrued with China but did not specify the size of the debt.    

“Our president explained the situation that we confront, and there was understanding from China. We are seeking mutually acceptable formulas for the planning and restructuring of the debts,” Gil said.     

China is Cuba’s second biggest trade partner after Venezuela. Both nations are strong political allies of Cuba.    

Earlier on his trip, Diaz-Canel visited Algeria, where President Abdelmadjid Tebboune promised to ship fuel to Cuba, donate a photovoltaic power plant and cancel interest on debts, Gil said.    

Diaz-Canel’s trip was also to include stops in Türkiye and Russia.