Cuba received a shipment of 15,600 tons of rice from China, completing the agreed donation of 30,000 tons provided by Beijing as emergency food aid amid the severe economic crisis on the island, state press reported this Wednesday. The donation, which arrived at the port of Havana on the ship Loyalty Hong, is the latest example of the support in various areas, such as food and energy, that the Chinese government has been providing to the island in recent years. China is a close ally of Cuba. At the end of last January, Chinese President Xi Jinping approved emergency aid to Cuba, which includes $80 million in financial assistance and a donation of 60,000 tons of rice. This is the largest rice donation announced for Cuba, a country that has received multiple food shipments in recent years to alleviate the severe shortage of basic goods and high inflation. In 2024, China had already granted a donation of $100 million to the island. The arrival of the rice donation coincided with a statement from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian, expressing his 'firm opposition' to the 'total blockade' and 'illegal unilateral sanctions' by the United States against the island. 'We urge the US to immediately lift the blockade and sanctions and to stop pressuring Cuba under any pretext,' the Chinese foreign minister stated. US Pressure on Cuba. The Washington government has intensified its pressure on Cuba since early 2026 by adding a petroleum blockade to the sanctions system, a measure described by the United Nations as contrary to international law. This policy has forced the halt of electricity production, escalating the crisis of blackouts, in addition to affecting the supply of basic goods. Cuba's economy is going through a severe and prolonged crisis, with a 15% economic contraction in the last five years, according to official reports. The island suffers from a chronic shortage of food, medicine, and fuel, along with massive blackouts and high inflation. Havana and Beijing maintain close political and economic relations in which the Asian country stands out as one of the island's main allies.
