China Announces Donation Of 30,000 Tons Of Rice To Cuba: 'Stay United In Difficult Times'

China announced the donation of 30,000 tons of rice to Cuba, which the Havana regime said will be distributed freely to the population.

Chinese ambassador to Cuba Hua Xin announced the donation, saying the country is Cuba's "most firm partner" and is willing to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

The country's state-run media outlet, Granma, quoted Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Minister Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga, who said the donation is "a concrete expression" of China's "exemplary" cooperation.

The development stands in contrast with the U.S. approach to sending aid to the country, which is going through an economic collapse.

This week the regime accused the United States of using humanitarian assistance as a tool of "political manipulation," responding to Washington's decision to send hurricane relief to the island without coordinating with Cuban authorities.

In a statement issued by the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Havana said the U.S. was exploiting the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa "for opportunistic purposes and political manipulation," arguing that what Washington presented as a humanitarian gesture was being carried out unilaterally and without official communication with the Cuban government.

The statement also said that Cuba does not oppose assistance from foreign governments or organizations, provided it benefits the population and is not used to "profit politically under the disguise of a humanitarian gesture." The ministry added that all aid entering the country is typically organized and distributed through state authorities, with the participation of organizations such as the Catholic Church, and stressed that the donation was accepted without conditions as a gesture from the American people.

U.S. officials, however, rejected the accusation. Speaking at a virtual press briefing on Thursday, Acting Under Secretary of State for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom Jeremy Lewin said Washington deliberately avoided consulting Cuban authorities and would never provide aid directly to what he described as the regime, as CBS News reports.

Originally published on Latin Times

Tags

China, Cuba, Donations