Sino-Cuban relations
(www.fmprc.gov.cn)
Updated: 2004-11-11 10:04

I.Bilateral Political Relations

China established diplomatic relations with Cuba on September 28, 1960.

China placed high value on the Cuban Revolution and gave great sympathy and support to it. Cuba attached great importance to developing relations with China and took active measures for this purpose. Soon after the victory of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, leaders of the government and the Partido Comunista de Cuba (the Communist Party of Cuba) visited China. The first Havana Declaration was issued on 1st September 1960, in which Fidel Castro declared the severing of its diplomatic relations with Taiwan and the establishment of diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China. The two sides issued simultaneously after consultation the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations on September 28. Since then, all-round, friendly and cooperative bilateral relations have been rapidly developing. In November 1960, Cuban leader Guevara, heading a government economic delegation, paid a visit to China, and the two governments signed the first Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation. In December of the same year, Vice Chairman Guo Moruo of the Standing Committee of the NPC (National People's Congress) headed a good-will delegation to Cuba for the celebrations of the 2nd anniversary of the victory of the Cuban Revolution. In September 1961, Cuban President Roertecos paid a visit to China.

There were little substantive contacts between China and Cuba during the Cold War period from the middle of the 1960s to the early 1980s.

Contacts in various fields were restored gradually from the year 1983. In 1989, mutual visits between Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen and his Cuban counterpart Malmierca were realized, which marked the full resumption and development of Sino-Cuban relations. Since 1990s, the two countries have maintained frequent high-level exchange of visits and cooperation and exchanges in various fields have continuously expanded. In 1993, Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited Cuba. In 1995, President Castro visited China. The exchange of visits by the heads of state ushered in a new period of profound and extensive development of bilateral relations.

In international affairs, China and Cuba support and closely coordinate with each other. China has consistently supported the Cuban people in their just struggle to defend their national sovereignty and oppose the blockade imposed by the U.S. Cuba has rendered China with active support on such issues as human rights, Taiwan and Tibet.

II. Important Mutual Visits

On May 22-26, 1991, Vice-Chairman Chen Muhua of the NPC Standing Committee visited Cuba at the head of a delegation. President Castro held a dinner in honor of the delegation and personally accompanied them to visit agricultural projects. Chairman Escalona of Cuban National Assembly held talks with the delegation. Vice-President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers Rodriguez and others also met with the delegation.

On July 1-7, 1991, Rodriguez, Member of Political Bureau of Cuban Communist Party and Vice-President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers, paid an official friendly visit to China. Chinese Vice-President Wang Zhen officiated at the welcoming ceremony and held a dinner in honor of the guests. Vice-Premier Wu Xueqian held talks with them. CPC General Secretary Jiang Zemin and President Yang Shangkun met with them separately.

From August 3 to September 9, 1991, at the invitation of State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, Cuban government minister Naranjo visited China. Premier Li Peng and Vice-chairman Chen Muhua of the NPC Standing Committee met with him separately.

On September 12-16, 1992, Ni Zhifu, Vice-Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee and Chairman of All-China Federation of Trade Unions visited Cuba at the head of a trade union delegation. They met respectively with Raul Castro, Second Secretary of the Central Committee of Cuban Communist Party and First Vice-President of the Council of Ministers, Almeida and Machado, Members of the Political Bureau and Vice-Presidents of the Council of State, and Escalona, Chairman of the National Assembly.

On November 22-29, 1992, at the invitation of the Chinese Government, Lage, Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of Cuban Communist Party, Member of the Council of State and Executive Secretary of the Council of Ministers, visited China. Vice-Premier Zhou Jiahua held talks with him. He met respectively with Premier Li Peng and Wen Jiabao, Alternate Member of the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee and Secretary of its Secretariat.

On June 19-26, 1993, at the invitation of Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, Cuban Foreign Minister Robaina paid an official visit to China. Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen held working talks with him. He met respectively with Vice-President Rong Yiren and Vice-Chairman Tian Jiyun of the NPC Standing Committee.

On November 21-22, 1993, at the invitation of President Castro, President Jiang Zemin paid a short visit to Cuba. President Castro himself conferred on President Jiang the "Jose Marti" Medal, the highest honor in Cuba.

From Nover 30 to December 6, 1993, at the invitation of NPC Standing Committee, Chairman Alarcon of Cuban National Assembly visited China and met respectively with President Jiang Zemin and Chairman Qiao Shi of the NPC Standing Committee.

On June 12-15, 1995, at the invitation of Chairman Alarcon of Cuban National Assembly, Chairman Li Ruihuan of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) paid an official and friendly visit to Cuba. He met respectively with President Castro and Vice-President Lage.

On October 9, 1995, Premier Li Peng, after concluding his visit in Mexico and on his way to Peru, stopped over in Cuba and held talks with President Castro.

From November 29 to December 8, 1995, at the invitation of President Jiang Zemin, President Castro paid a state visit to China. President Jiang held talks with him. Premier Li Peng, Chairman Qiao Shi of the NPC Standing Committee and Chairman Li Ruihuan of CPPCC met with him respectively. President Jiang also went to Shenchen to meet President Castro for the second time and accompanied him on local visits.

On April 8-11, 1996, at the invitation of Chairman Alarcon of Cuban National Assembly of People's Power, Chairman Qiao Shi of the NPC Standing Committee paid an official friendly visit to Cuba. President Castro and Vice-President Lage met with him respectively. Alarcon held talks with him.

On December 13-17, 1996, Laso, Member of the Political Bureau of Cuban Communist Party and Vice-President of the Council of State visited China at the head of a delegation of the Cuban Communist Party. Chairman Qian Shi of the NPC Standing Committee and Vice-Chairman Yang Rudai of CPPCC met with him respectively.

On January 12-15, 1997, at the invitation of the Cuban Communist Party, Hu Jintao, Member of the CPC Central Standing Committee and Secretary of its Secretariat, paid an official visit to Cuba. He met respectively with President Castro, Vice-President Lage, Chairman Alarcon of Cuban National Assembly and Machado, Member of Political Bureau of Cuban Communist Party Central Committee.

On April 8-15, 1997, Colome, Member of Cuban Communist Party Central Committee, Vice-President of the Council of State and Minister of Interior, visited China. President Jiang Zemin and Minister of Public Security Tao Siju met with him respectively.

On May 11-13, 1997, Vice-Premier Li Lanqing visited Cuba at the head of a Chinese Government Delegation. President Castro met with him and Vice-President Lage held working talks with him.

On July 23-25, 1998, at the invitation of the Cuban Government, Vice-Premier Qian Qichen paid an official visit to Cuba. President Castro and Vice-President Lage met with him respectively. Foreign Minister Robaina held talks with him.

From March 27 to April 1, 1999, Cuban Foreign Minister Robaina paid a working visit to China. President Jiang Zemin met with him. Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan held working talks with him.

On April 25-30, 1999, at the invitation of Cuban Communist Party, Wei Jianxing, Member of the CPC Central Standing Committee and Secretary of its Secretariat, visited Cuba at head of a CPC delegation. President Castro, Vice-President Lage and General Secretary Ross of Cuban Central Trade Unions met with him respectively. Balaguer, Member of the Political Bureau of CCP Central Committee and Minister of its Department of International Relations, held working talks with him.

From April 27 to May 4, 1999, at the invitation of CPC Central Committee, Machado, Member of the Political Bureau of Cuban Communist Party Central Committee and Vice-President of the Council of State, visited China at the head of a Cuban Communist Party delegation. Vice-President Hu Jintao, Chairman Li Ruihuan of CPPCC and Huang Ju, Secretary of the Communist Party Committee of Shanghai Municipality, met with him respectively.

On June 1-6, 1999, at the invitation of Cuban National Assembly, Vice-Chairman Cao Zhi of NPC Standing Committee, visited Cuba. President Castro and Vice-President Lage met with him.

On December 9-13, 1999, at the invitation of Vice-Premier Li Lanqing, Vice-President Lage paid an official visit to China. Vice-Premier Li Lanqing held working talks with him. President Jiang Zemin, Premier Zhu Rongji and Vice-Premier Wu Bangguo met with him respectively.

On April 11-13, 2000, at the invitation of President Castro, Vice-Premier Li Lanqing at the head of a Chinese government delegation attended the South Summit in Havana and visited Cuba. Vice-Premier Li met with President Castro and held talks with Vice-President Lage. The two sides signed an agreement on economic and technological cooperation.

On September 16-18, 2000, at the invitation of Cuban Foreign Minister Perez, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan visited Cuba. President Castro met with him and Foreign Minister Perez held working talks with him. The two sides signed an agreement on economic and technological cooperation between China and Cuba and a protocol on cooperation between China's Foreign Affairs Institute and Cuban Institute of International Relations.

From February 25 to March 3, 2001, at the invitation of Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, Cuban Foreign Minister Perez paid an official visit to China. President Jiang Zemin, Vice-Premier Qian Qichen, Chairman Zeng Jianhui of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the NPC, and Head of the Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee Dai Bingguo met with him respectively. Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan held talks with him.

From March 30 to April 7, 2001, Vice-Chairman Jiang Zhenghua of the NPC Standing Committee led a NPC delegation to attend the 105thsession of Inter-Parliamentary Union in Cuba. Vice-President Castro of Cuban Council of State, Vice-President Lage and Foreign Minister Perez met with him respectively.

On April 12-15, 2001, at the invitation of President Castro, President Jiang Zemin paid a state visit to Cuba. The two presidents held talks. During the visit, the two countries signed a series of agreements: Agreement on Economic and Technological Cooperation, Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Tax Evasion, Shipping Agreement, Agreement on Educational Exchanges, Agreement on Sport Exchanges, Agreement on Buyer's Credit Provided by Import and Export Bank of China for Color TV Sets Exported to Cuba by Panda Group, Agreement on Preferential and Confessional Loan Provided by Import and Export Bank of China for Wang Hai Hotel, and Agreement on Buyer's Credit Provided by Import and Export Bank of China for Telecommunication Project of Ju Long Group.

On November 3-7, 2001, at the invitation of President Castro and Cuban National Assembly of People's Power, Chairman Li Peng of the NPC Standing Committee paid an official friendly visit to Cuba. Chairman Li Peng held working talks with Alarcon and conversed three times with President Castro. They had an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and major issues of common interest.

On April 22-28, 2002, at the invitation of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, Cuban Procurator-General Escalona and Deputy Procurator-General Conception visited China. Vice-Chairman Jiang Chunyun of the NPC Standing Committee met with the delegation and Chinese Procurator-General Han Shubin held talks with them.

On December 9-12, 2002, at the invitation of Cuban General Procuratorate, Chinese Procurator-General Han Shubin visited Cuba at the head of a procuratorial delegation. Cuban counter-part Escalona held talks with him. Colome, Member of Political Bureau of Cuban Communist Party Central Committee, Vice-President of the Council of State and Minister of Interior, Machado, Member of the Political Bureau and Director-General of the Organization Department Cuban Communist Party Central Committee, and Remigio, President of Cuban Supreme People's Court, met with the delegation respectively.

From February 26 to March 1, 2003, at the invitation of President Jiang Zemin, President Castro paid a state visit to China. The two Presidents held talks. Hu Jintao, General Secretary of CPC Central Committee and Vice-President of the state, Chairman Li Peng of the NPC Standing Committee, Premier Zhou Rongji and Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao met with him respectively. The two sides signed an agreement on economic and technological cooperation. The Chinese side announced the agreement to include Cuba into the list of countries of tourism destination for Chinese citizens. Accompanied by President Jiang Zemin personally, President Castro and his entourage also went to Nanjing and Shanghai where they visited the Panda Electro Group and the Pudong New District.

III.Bilateral Economic and Trade Relations, Economic and Technological Cooperation

For a long time trade between China and Cuba has been conducted in accounts and settled by the annual trade protocol signed at the end of each year. Cash trade took the place in 1996, and coordinated barter trade was also introduced by certain enterprises of the two countries. The two countries are economically complimentary. China imports from Cuba raw sugar and small amount of medicine, while exporting rice, kidney beans, mechanical and electronic products, medicine, light industrial and textile products to Cuba. In 2002, trade volume between the two countries reached $430 million, of which China's export was $310 million and import $120 million.

In July 1997, the first China-Cuba joint venture was established in Cuba with a total investment of $2.124 million and an annual output of 4 million pairs of plastic slippers. China also helped Cuba in the construction of the bicycle factory, electric fan plant, solar power station, small hydropower station, telecom network, methane pits and the duck and sheep-farming project. To date China-Cuba Joint Commission on Economic and Trade Cooperation at ministerial level, which is convened regularly, has held 15 times.

IV. Exchanges and Cooperation in Culture, Education and Science and Technology

In February 1995, China and Cuba signed an Agreement on Cultural, Educational, and Scientific and Technical Cooperation, since then cultural and sports exchanges have developed smoothly.

Cuba helped training a group of Chinese students to learn Spanish in the 1960s. The two sides resumed the system of mutual dispatch of students in 1984, each maintaining 10 candidacies of scholarship annually for the other side. In July 1999, eight Chinese students completed their schooling in Cuba and returned to China. At the end of 2000, the first Chinese teaching class was opened in Cuba. In April 2001, the two countries signed an agreement on educational exchanges. The Chinese side provides 30 scholarships for Cuban students every year.

From April 22 to May 7, 2002, at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture, Cuban National Ballet Troupe came to China to take part in the third "Meeting in Beijing" gala festival. Apart from Beijing, the troupe also performed in Shanghai. In November, the first meeting of Chinese and Cuban university presidents was held in Cuba and the Chinese language center in the Havana University went into operation.

In March 1990, China and Cuba held in Beijing the first meeting of the joint committee on scientific and technological cooperation. Thereafter, the meeting was held biannually and biannual plans for scientific and technological cooperation were signed. In August 2000, China International Science and Technology Center and Cuba Molecule Immunity Center established a joint venture in Beijing - Baitai Bio-pharmaceutical Company.

V. Military Relations

A. In December 1984, with China re-dispatching resident militaryattaches to Cuba, normal relations between the armed forces of the two countries were resumed. At present, friendly contacts between the military of the two countries are frequent.

B.Important bilateral exchanges in the military field in recent years:

Paying visits to China on separate occasions were Lt. General Jin Tas, Commander of the Cuban Central Area Military Command (2000), General Lopez, Vice-Minister and Chief of General Staff of Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (2001), and Lt. General Sixto, Chief of the General Political Department of Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (2002).

Paying visits to Cuba on separate occasions were Political Commissar Du Tiehuan of Beijing Military Command and Chief of General Staff Fu Quanyou (2000); Political Commissar of Air Force Qiao Qingchen and General Yuan Shoufang, Deputy Director of General Political Department (2001); General Li Jinai, Political Commissar of General Equipment Department, and Lt. General Sun Zhongtong, Assistant Director of General Political Department (2002); and Deputy Chief of General Staff Qian Shugen (2003).

VI. Important Bilateral Agreements

(A) Joint Communiqueon Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Cuba:

Having agreed on establishing diplomatic relations, the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Cuba decide to exchange as soon as possible diplomatic representatives at ambassadorial level for the further development of the fraternal friendly and cooperative relations already existing between the two countries.

September 28, 1960

(B) Other Agreements

(1) Agreement on Mutual Exemption of Passport Visa (Nov. 1988)

(2) Protocol on Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba (Jan. 1989)

(3) Agreement between the Government of PRC and the Government of RC on Mutual Establishment of General Consulates (June 1989)

(4) Agreement between the Government of PRC and the Government of RC on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (Nov. 1989)

(5) Consular Treaty between PRC and RC (Aug. 1990)

(6) Trade Agreement between the Government of PRC and the Government of RC (Jan. 1991)

(7) Agreement between National Tourism Administration of PRC and National Tourism Administration of RC on Tourism Cooperation (July 1992)

(8) Agreement between PRC and RC on Civil and Criminal Judicial Assistance (Nov. 1992)

(9) Agreement between the Government of PRC and the Government of RC on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (June 1993)

(10) Agreement between the Government of PRC and the Government of RC on Civil Air Transport (June, 1993)

(11) Agreement between PRC and RC on Cultural, Educational, Scientific and Technological Cooperation (Feb. 1995)

(12) Agreement between the Government of PRC and the Government of RC on Mutual Promotion and Protection of Investment (April 1995)

(13) Agreement between the Government of PRC and the Government of RC on the Retention of Cuban Honorary Consulate in Hong Kong SAR (Dec. 1996)

(14) Trade Agreement between the Government of PRC and the Government of RC (May 1999)

(15) Bilateral Agreement between PRC and RC on China's Entry into WTO (Jan. 2000)

(16) Agreement between PRC and RC on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Tax Evasions (April 200l)

(17) Agreement between the Ministry Education of PRC and the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education of RC on Educational Exchanges (April 2001)

(18) Ocean Shipping Agreement between PRC and RC (April 2001)

(19) Agreement between the General Sport Administration of PRC and Sport and Recreation Committee of RC on Sport Exchanges (April 2001)

(20) Agreement between the General Sport Administration of PRC and Sport and Recreation Committee of RC on Sport Cooperation (April 2002)

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