Beijing approved aid of 80 million dollars and 60,000 tons of rice for Havana in the midst of the economic collapse and the Cuban regime’s persistent lack of transparency regarding the destination and use of international aid.
MADRID, Spain.- The Government of China approved a new round of assistance to Cuba that includes financial aid of 80 million dollars and a donation of 60,000 tons of rice, in a context marked by the worsening of the economic crisis, the deterioration of the energy system and the growing dependence of the Island on its political allies.
The decision was communicated after a meeting at the Palace of the Revolution between the Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and the Chinese ambassador in Havana, Hua Xin, who conveyed the approval of the package by the president and leader of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping.
According to the information disseminated by official media, The funds would be used to purchase electrical equipment and cover “other urgent needs,” while the rice will be delivered as food aid. Part of this donation corresponds to a previous shipment of 30,000 tons whose first delivery would have already begun, and which is now completed until reaching the 60,000 tons committed.
https://twitter.com/PresidenciaCuba/status/2013733372334379148
The announcement comes at a time when the population faces a chronic shortage of basic products, blackouts of more than 12 hours a day in several provinces, lack of fuel and an inflation that has pulverized purchasing power. Rice, an essential food in the Cuban diet, is today a deficit product in the state network and is sold at prices unaffordable for a large part of the population in agricultural markets and the informal market.
Despite the official narrative about “strategic cooperation” with Beijing, the reiteration of donations and emergency aid shows the inability of the Cuban economic model to guarantee minimum supply and energy stability without constantly resorting to the help of political allies.
During the meeting, projects in the energy sector were also discussed, particularly in the field of photovoltaic solar energy, whose schedules and execution modalities have had to be modified. However, the authorities did not offer details about deadlines, specific amounts per project or control mechanisms, in a context in which serious doubts persist about the management and final destination of the resources received.
China is thus consolidating itself as one of the main financial and political supporters of the Cuban regime, along with other strategic allies, in a scenario of economic contraction, indebtedness, deterioration of infrastructure and growing social discontent, while the Government continues without providing clear accounts regarding the use of international aid.
