With Venezuelan oil supplies disrupted and international assistance failing to meet the island’s growing needs, China has reaffirmed its commitment to Cuba’s sovereignty and socialist government, as President Donald Trump’s administration increases pressure on Havana to change its government.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun made the announcement Monday, Sept. 28, marking the 66th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
“No matter how the international landscape evolves, China will firmly support Cuba in exploring the socialist development path suited to its national conditions and in safeguarding national sovereignty and opposing external interference,” said Guo.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng urged Washington to stop threatening the island with force and remove economic restrictions during his U.N. address Saturday.
Cuba has been embroiled in decades of political conflict, economic dependence and strained relations with Washington. The island became independent from Spain in 1898 following the Spanish-American War.
In 1959, Fidel Castro led a revolution that ousted dictator Fulgencio Batista. Cuba subsequently established a socialist government and developed close ties with the Soviet Union. Washington then imposed an economic embargo in the early 1960s, beginning a trade conflict that has continued for more than six decades.
Cuba’s economy suffered another blow when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, ending a vital source of financial assistance and subsidized oil. Afterward, Venezuela became an important economic partner and energy supplier until Trump’s re-election.
That relationship has now been severely disrupted.
Following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, Washington restricted Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba, depriving the island of a major fuel source.
A nationwide grid collapse earlier this month left millions without power, while businesses and essential services have struggled to keep their operations running. Tourism has also deteriorated. Official figures show arrivals declined 62% during the first seven months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
China has continued supplying humanitarian assistance, including an $80 million emergency package approved by President Xi Jinping in January and a commitment to donate 60,000 metric tons of rice. A shipment of 15,000 metric tons arrived in Havana in May. Beijing has not announced additional assistance to address the latest power emergency.
Meanwhile, Trump has publicly expressed his desire for political change in Cuba.
During his recent address to the United Nations General Assembly, he described Cuba as a failed state and declared that “freedom will be coming” to the country. Cuban representatives walked out during his speech.
Trump later said negotiations could resolve the dispute without military intervention.
“I would say that Cuba and us will make a deal. I don’t think we’ll need the military,” he told reporters Saturday (Sept. 26). “We want to help Cuba,” Trump added. “We want to open Cuba up to our people.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also urged Havana to pursue political and economic changes but Cuban officials have rejected Washington’s pressure while maintaining that diplomatic engagement remains possible.
“We are open to commercial and business relationships with US companies, just as we are with any other country,” Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez told the U.N., going on to condemn the longstanding U.S. embargo. At the same time, Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio accused Washington of an “international crime” over restrictions on oil supplies.
