Effective inclusion of Cuba in the Belt and Road Initiative ‘The World’ Granma

Yesterday, the Deputy Prime Minister signed the cooperation plan between the Government of the Republic of Cuba and the Government of the People’s Republic of China to jointly promote the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Ricardo Caprisas Ruiz and Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission of China, He Lifeng.

This document is the mechanism for implementing the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two governments, to include Cuba in the Belt and Road Initiative, on the occasion of President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermúdez’s visit to China, in November 2018.

The memorandum has been prepared in line with Cuba’s economic and social development goals, in which China is a strategic partner.

The articles of the cooperation plan include the intentions of the parties to strengthen and enhance bilateral cooperation in priority sectors for Cuba, such as infrastructure development, education, culture, health, biotechnology, communications, science, technology and tourism, among other areas. It was also agreed on projects and measures that include mutually beneficial interests, with the aim of strengthening and diversifying relations between Cuba and China, as well as with the third countries that are members of this initiative.

With the signing of this document, the two parties will begin implementing measures that will allow Cuba to achieve the effective integration of the Belt and Road Initiative, a massive project that the Chinese government has been promoting since 2013, aiming to create a wide network of infrastructures that contribute to interconnectedness among its members, promote cultural exchange and strengthen International cooperation.