Latin America Archives - Friends of Socialist China

Cuba and China reinforce bonds of solidarity

Special envoy of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and the Cuban government, Member of the Political Bureau of the PCC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla paid an official visit to China from November 10 to 13. His last visit was in February this year.

Announcing the visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that China and Cuba are good friends, good comrades and good brothers, adding that the visit reflects the high level of political mutual trust between the two countries. China attaches great importance to the visit and stands ready to have in-depth exchanges of views with the Cuban side on China-Cuba relations and issues of mutual concern and further implement the important common understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries.

Meeting his Cuban counterpart on November 11, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi asked Rodríguez to convey President Xi Jinping’s warm greetings to Comrade Raúl Castro and President Miguel Díaz-Canel, stating that Cuba insists on independence and autonomy, defends national dignity, strives to explore a socialist path suited to its national conditions, demonstrates a national spirit of fearlessness in the face of power, and has earned widespread respect from the international community. No matter how the situation develops, China will firmly support Cuba in safeguarding national sovereignty and its legitimate rights, opposing sanctions, blockades, and foreign interference.

The Cuban news agency Prensa Latina added that Wang Yi recalled that this year marks the centenary of the birth of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, and highlighted the respect that Cuba has earned in the international community for its spirit of independence and resistance.

Rodríguez conveyed the sincere greetings of Army General Raúl and President Díaz-Canel to President Xi Jinping, stating that Cuba-China relations are strategic and have always been maintained at a high level. China has always been a good partner in Cuba’s socialist construction, and Cuba is willing to work with China to explore a path for developing bilateral relations that benefits the peoples of both countries. The Cuban side expressed gratitude for China’s valuable support for its national development, especially in opposing external blockades and interference, and has always firmly adhered to the One-China principle and opposed any external interference in China’s internal affairs.

A report from Prensa Latina noted that Rodríguez considered China a reference for socialist construction in Cuba and for the transformations that are being introduced in the island’s economic and social model. He reiterated that Cuba will always be a socialist country close to China, as well as a friend, comrade and brother of the Chinese people. He especially thanked Beijing for its extraordinary and persistent support for the struggle of the Cuban people against the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States, which has intensified relentlessly in recent months.

On the same day, the Cuban visitors also met with Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), who said that China has unwaveringly adhered to the policy of long-term friendship with Cuba, and firmly supports Cuba in its just struggle against sanctions, blockade and foreign interference. He added that China is convinced that the PCC will lead the Cuban people to new achievements along the path of building socialism.

Rodríguez described relations with China as strategic and a top priority for Cuba, as they are two socialist countries with common experiences in the construction of that system and under the leadership of their respective communist parties. He also referred to the recent plenary session of the Central Committee of the CPC and the profound transformations that Cuba is promoting in its economic model.

In its report, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post linked the visit to recent US sanctions imposed on China as well as Cuba:

“The US State Department last Thursday sanctioned China National Electronic Import and Export Company and Beijing H&C Technologies, accusing them of working with a Cuban arms procurement company to supply military equipment to the island this year. The same package targeted entities and tankers linked to Cuba’s oil shipping network… In January, Xi approved US$80 million in emergency aid for Cuba to buy electrical equipment, alongside a donation of 60,000 tonnes of rice. Cuba has also added about 1,300 megawatts of solar capacity over the past two years, much of it built with Chinese equipment and financing.”

The Cuban foreign minister also met with Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC).

Liu said that under the strategic guidance of General Secretary Xi Jinping and First Secretary Miguel Díaz-Canel, the special friendship between China and Cuba has continued to grow. China has always viewed and developed its relations with Cuba from a strategic and overall perspective. No matter how the international situation may evolve, China’s commitment to long-term friendship with Cuba will remain unchanged; its resolve to support Cuba in pursuing the socialist path will remain unchanged; and its determination to work with Cuba to uphold international fairness and justice and oppose hegemony and power politics will remain unchanged. Relations between the CPC and the PCC form the cornerstone of China-Cuba relations. The CPC stands ready to continue strengthening strategic communication with the PCC and jointly promote practical cooperation across various fields. He noted that maintaining the advanced nature and purity of a political party is a major issue that Marxist ruling parties, including the CPC and the PCC, must address. The CPC stands ready to strengthen exchanges of experience and mutual learning with the PCC on full and rigorous Party self-governance and jointly enhance their respective levels of Party building.

Rodríguez said that Cuba and China are as close as brothers. In recent years, with the care and promotion of the top leaders of the two Parties and the two countries, Cuba-China traditional friendship and friendly cooperative relations have continued to consolidate. He thanked China for its firm support for Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security, and for the assistance it has provided to Cuba in difficult times. The PCC warmly congratulated the CPC on the successful convening of the Fifth Plenary Session of its 20th Central Committee and admired the tremendous development achievements made by the CPC in leading the Chinese people. These achievements are a great source of encouragement for the world socialist movement and Cuba’s socialist cause. The PCC looks forward to strengthening exchanges and cooperation between the two Parties, learning more from the CPC’s successful experience in strengthening and developing the Party and leading reform and development, so as to better advance Cuba’s socialist cause.

Rodríguez also met with Chen Xiaodong, president of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), on which occasion he conveyed the willingness to continue deepening economic-commercial ties, investments and cooperation. CIDCA has responsibility for many of China’s assistance programmes to Cuba.

Cuba and China also explored new opportunities to expand their economic-commercial relations during a trade and investment forum held in Beijing, with the participation of Rodríguez, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, along with authorities and business representatives of both countries. The president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Ren Hongbin, highlighted the potential of bilateral economic cooperation and the willingness of Chinese companies to expand their ties with Cuba.

Following the conclusion of his schedule in China, Rodríguez continued his Asian tour with a November 13-14 working visit to Vietnam, also repeating an earlier visit this past February. On November 13, he met with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam and Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.

CPC in dialogue with European left-wing parties

Leaders of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (IDCPC) have recently met with several delegations of European left-wing political figures.

On October 20, IDCPC Minister Liu Haixing met with a delegation of Italy’s Five Star Movement, led by Ettore Antonio Licheri, Vice President of the movement and Vice Chair of the Italian Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee.

Liu welcomed the delegation’s first official visit to China, noting that China and Italy enjoy a long history of exchanges, with the ancient Silk Road connecting the two peoples more than 2,000 years ago. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have maintained mutual trust and close cooperation, setting an example of mutually beneficial cooperation between countries with different social systems, cultural backgrounds and stages of development. The CPC appreciates the positive role played by the Five Star Movement in promoting China-Italy and China-Europe relations, including its active support for Belt and Road cooperation. The CPC stands ready to deepen exchanges and mutual learning with the Five Star Movement on party governance and state administration, strengthen exchanges between young cadres, think tanks and media organisations of the two Parties, and promote mutual understanding between the two peoples. The two sides should leverage inter-party channels to facilitate cooperation in trade and economic relations, scientific and technological innovation, green development, culture and local exchanges, and strengthen multilateral coordination to jointly promote the sound and steady development of China-Italy and China-Europe relations.

Liu also expressed the hope that Italy, and the Five Star Movement in particular, would uphold the one-China principle and effectively safeguard the political foundation of China-Italy relations.

Licheri said that the delegation’s visit to China aims to strengthen political mutual trust through inter-party exchanges. China has maintained strong development momentum in recent years, creating new opportunities for Italy’s development. Belt and Road cooperation is conducive to helping Italy achieve a better trade balance with China and enabling Italian businesses to gain better access to the vast Chinese market. The Five Star Movement upholds the one-China principle and is willing to actively support the Italian government in strengthening friendly cooperation with China within the framework of the European Union. The Five Star Movement advocates popular sovereignty and believes economic development should benefit ordinary people. It also supports resolving international conflicts through diplomatic negotiations as a priority. These positions share much in common with the policies and principles of the CPC. The concept of a community with a shared future for humanity, put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping, has important significance for our times. The Five Star Movement welcomes a greater role for China in promoting world peace and development and will continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the CPC.

On October 26, Vice-minister Lu Kang met with a delegation of the Left Group in the European Parliament, led by its Co-Chair Martin Schirdewan.

He said that the CPC stands ready to strengthen exchanges with the Left Group in the European Parliament, enhance mutual understanding and trust between China and the EU, foster correct mutual perceptions, advance openness and cooperation, and promote the sound and steady development of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.

Schirdewan, who is also a co-leader of Germany’s Die Linke (The Left) party, said that the Left Group in the European Parliament adheres to the one-China principle and stands ready to continue promoting dialogue and exchanges between the EU and China across various fields so as to boost the development of EU-China relations.

On November 5, Lu Kang met with a delegation led by Jose Luis Centella, President of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). Lu said that the CPC stands ready to deepen exchanges with the PCE on experience in Party self-governance and discipline, strengthen solidarity and coordination, and work together to uphold multilateralism and safeguard world peace and stability. He expressed the hope that the PCE, the Transform! Europe Foundation and the Cátedra China Foundation would continue to promote exchanges among political parties, think tanks, social organisations and other sectors in China and Spain, as well as between China and Europe, and actively contribute to the sound and steady development of China-Spain and China-Europe relations.

Centella said that the PCE pays close attention to Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building and the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. It will learn from the CPC’s experience and practices in exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance and further improve its own ideological and organisational development. The PCE stands ready to strengthen inter-party exchanges and cooperation with the CPC, play a constructive role in continuously deepening the comprehensive strategic partnerships between Spain and China and between the European Union and China, and make new contributions to building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Also, on the same day, Vice-minister Ma Hui met with leaders of communist parties in Latin America who were in China to attend the 16th World Socialism Forum. He said that the CPC stands ready to strengthen exchanges with communist parties in Latin America on concepts and practices of party self-governance, strengthen experience exchange in party building, learn from each other, enhance their respective capacity and level of party self-governance, and promote party building.

The Latin American comrades said that they look forward to further strengthening exchanges with the CPC on experience in party building, actively promoting the development of relations between Latin America and China, and contributing to building a community with a shared future for humanity.

China: Comrade Raul Castro is a venerated Cuban revolutionary leader held in high international esteem

On October 21, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told the ministry’s regular press conference that China urges the United States to immediately stop its blockade and any other form of coercion and pressure against Cuba and stop infringing on Cuban people’s right to survive and thrive.

Her comment came two days after the US state of Florida’s Attorney General staged a grotesque and ugly political farce of issuing an arrest warrant for Cuban revolutionary leader Raul Castro. Mao responded by noting that Comrade Raul Castro is a venerated Cuban revolutionary leader held in high international esteem.

On October 29, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that China again urges the United States to heed the just call of the international community and immediately end its blockade and sanctions against Cuba. Guo made the remarks at a regular news briefing after the UN General Assembly once again adopted by a large majority a resolution condemning the decades-old US embargo on the socialist island the previous day.

China again urges the US to heed the just call of the international community, immediately end the blockade and sanctions against Cuba, and cease coercing and pressuring Cuba through any means, including the use of force, he added.

Oliver Vargas: The Long March – lessons in overcoming the impossible

In the following article, Bolivian journalist and CGTN commentator Oliver Vargas reflects on a recent journey following in the footsteps of the Red Army through Sichuan province, the scene of some of the most decisive and gruelling episodes of the Long March, which concluded 90 years ago this month.

Oliver describes how the Red Army won over the Yi people of Liangshan by respecting their culture and treating them as equals – an example, he suggests, of the kind of cooperation the world needs today as against the bullying of unipolar hegemony. He recounts the seizure of the Luding Bridge over the Dadu River, where the revolutionaries calmly analysed an apparently hopeless situation and found a way through; and the crossing of the snow-capped Jiajin Mountain and the swamplands of the high grasslands, where many lost their lives.

Writing from the perspective of a Latin American facing the “Donroe Doctrine”, Oliver concludes that the Long March offers a powerful lesson for the Global South: “When organised and united, the people can win against all the odds.”

See also Xi Jinping’s speech marking the anniversary and our co-editor Carlos Martinez’s article on the Long March at 90.

Xi Jinping congratulates Lula on election victory

Following Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s October 25 election victory, in which he overcame a far-right challenge and secured an unprecedented fourth term as Brazilian president, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent him a congratulatory message on October 27.

In particularly warm terms, Xi wrote that President Lula has made important contributions to advancing China-Brazil relations. He added that he and Lula have, in recent years, maintained close communication through various means and jointly guided the building of the China-Brazil community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet to new progress. The global, strategic and long-term significance of the bilateral relationship has become increasingly prominent, making it a model of solidarity and cooperation among Global South countries.

Also, on the same day, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng sent a congratulatory message to Geraldo Alckmin on his re-election as Brazil’s vice president.

The following article was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday extended congratulations to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on his re-election as president of Brazil.

In his congratulatory message, Xi said that President Lula has made important contributions to advancing China-Brazil relations.

Xi said he and Lula have, in recent years, maintained close communication through various means and jointly guided the building of the China-Brazil community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet to new progress.

The global, strategic and long-term significance of the bilateral relationship has become increasingly prominent, making it a model of solidarity and cooperation among Global South countries, he said.

Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Brazil relations and stands ready to work with President Lula to guide the building of a China-Brazil community with a shared future to new heights, open up broader prospects for all-round strategic coordination between the two countries, and continuously enhance the well-being of the two peoples.

Also on Tuesday, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng sent a congratulatory message to Geraldo Alckmin on his re-election as Brazil’s vice president.

Lula’s re-election brings continuity to China-Brazil ties, fresh momentum for Global South cooperation

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has secured a historic fourth term as President of Brazil, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro in the second round of the presidential election on October 25 with 51.78 percent of the vote – the first time in Brazil’s history that a candidate has overturned a first-round deficit to win the runoff.

This is a victory of enormous international significance. A Bolsonaro presidency would have been a major step forward for the Trump administration’s agenda of continental hegemony – its “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine. Flávio Bolsonaro had openly offered Brazil to Washington as the “solution” to its dependence on China for critical minerals and pledged that the US would be Brazil’s primary commercial, political and security partner. As Francisco Dominguez has recently argued, Latin America finds itself caught between James Monroe and Zhou Enlai; Brazil’s voters have chosen sovereignty.

Lula’s re-election means continuity for one of the pillars of BRICS and the Global South, and for Brazil’s commitment to building a multipolar world. It also brings stability and predictability to the China-Brazil relationship. As the following article from Global Times notes, bilateral trade reached a record US$143.3 billion in the first nine months of 2026, and Chinese experts see significant potential for expanding cooperation in green and low-carbon development, the digital economy and artificial intelligence, and aerospace. The two countries are also expected to continue coordinating on reform of the UN and WTO, global debt restructuring and climate negotiations – helping to ensure, in the words of Pan Deng, director of the Latin America and Caribbean Region Law Center at the China University of Political Science and Law, that global governance “better reflects the concerns and development needs of emerging economies”.

Francisco Dominguez: Latin America – between James Monroe and Zhou Enlai

In the following article, Dr Francisco Dominguez, Secretary of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, argues that Latin America is caught between two diametrically opposed global forces: US imperialism, whose drive for regional hegemony traces back to the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, and the China-led effort to build a multipolar world grounded in the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence formulated by Zhou Enlai.

Francisco charts the extraordinary growth of China-Latin America relations – from total trade of US$1.8 billion in 1990 to US$565 billion in 2025 – along with Chinese investment in infrastructure, energy and manufacturing, and China’s sustained support for Cuba in the face of an ever-tighter US blockade.

He contrasts this win-win cooperation with the Trump administration’s “Monroe Corollary”, which so far has involved the kidnapping of President Maduro, the militarisation of the hemisphere, the US-led “Shield of the Americas” coalition, and open threats against Mexico and Cuba, as voiced by Trump at the UN General Assembly and denounced there by Mia Mottley, Bruno Rodríguez and Lula.

China, Francisco concludes, offers Latin America “the normalisation of choice” – and the prospect of a region where sovereignty, development and social progress can flourish. Hence his rallying cry: “Down with Monroe and up with Zhou Enlai!”

Tings Chak: How Brazil’s election could reshape relations with China

The following article by Tings Chak, Asia Co-Coordinator of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and an editor of the international edition of Wenhua Zongheng: A Journal of Contemporary Chinese Thought, examines what is at stake for China-Brazil relations in Brazil’s presidential runoff on October 25 between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro.

Over the past two decades, Brazil and China have built a political partnership that “has expanded the space for independent action among countries of the Global South”. Under Lula, this cooperation has extended to industrial development, infrastructure, science and technology – and to Brazil’s popular movements, with the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) working with Chinese institutions on agricultural mechanisation, bioinputs and AI tools for agroecology built on Chinese open-source models.

Flávio Bolsonaro, by contrast, has offered Brazil to Washington as the “solution” to its dependence on China for critical minerals, and his campaign has proposed preventing Brazil’s Pix payment system from connecting to non-Western networks. With the Trump administration proclaiming a “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine, Brazil – Latin America’s largest economy and a founding member of BRICS – has become “a consequential battleground in Washington’s campaign to contain China’s growing relations with the region”.

Tings notes that Chinese analysts anticipate “cold politics, hot economics” under a Flávio presidency, with commodity trade continuing but strategic cooperation deteriorating, as it did under his father. She concludes that the future of China-Brazil cooperation “will depend on the capacity of organised popular forces to build a sovereign national project and turn international cooperation into lasting changes in people’s lives”.

China and Brazil should lead the Global South toward collective self-reliance

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee, met with Chief Advisor to the President of Brazil for Foreign Policy, Celso Amorim, in Beijing, on September 16.

Wang Yi conveyed President Xi Jinping’s warm greetings to President Lula, stating that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Brazil relations have in recent years achieved leapfrog development from comprehensive strategic partners to communities with a shared future. The global, strategic, and long-term nature of their relationship has become more prominent, and it has become a model of unity and cooperation among major powers in the Global South. Both sides, he added, should strengthen strategic cooperation on major international and regional issues, continue to stand on the side of international fairness and justice, jointly hold high the torch of multilateralism, and lead the Global South toward collective self-reliance.

Amorim conveyed President Lula’s sincere greetings to President Xi Jinping, stating that both China and Brazil are major countries in the Global South and can genuinely contribute to world peace and stability. In the current international situation of turmoil and instability, Brazil-China relations transcend the bilateral scope and carry increasing significance. Both sides should strengthen communication and cooperation on multilateral platforms such as BRICS and jointly contribute to promoting world peace and development.

China supports Mexico’s defence of its independence, sovereignty and security

Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico Roberto Velasco Álvarez visited China from September 6-7 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The two foreign ministers held talks in Beijing on September 7.

Wang Yi said that China has always viewed and advanced China-Mexico relations from the strategic perspective of unity and cooperation among countries in the Global South. China appreciates Mexico’s long-term and firm adherence to the one-China principle and supports Mexico in maintaining its independence and autonomy, safeguarding its sovereignty and security, and opposing external interference.

Noting that China and Mexico share similar positions on many international and regional issues, Wang said China is ready to strengthen strategic coordination with Mexico on the international and multilateral stages to safeguard the respective legitimate interests of the two countries.

Velasco said the Mexican side commends the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence proposed by China and firmly adheres to the one-China principle and upholds the authority of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, which restored China’s rightful seat in the world body.

The Mexican foreign minister further said that Mexico supports China in holding the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting, which will be held in Shenzhen in November, and its playing a leading role, expressing willingness to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China to jointly safeguard the international multilateral system.

The importance of Wang Yi’s strong statement in support of Mexico’s independence, security and sovereignty and in opposition to external interference has to be seen in the context of the steadily mounting bullying, aggression and threats emanating from the Trump administration in the US as part of its current hemispheric hegemonic rampage.

Three days later, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated her stance on national sovereignty and rejected US political pandering at Mexico’s expense ahead of the US midterm elections on November 3.

“As we have always said, Mexico is nobody’s piñata. Mexico must be respected. We do not interfere in their elections. They also should not use Mexico in their elections,” Sheinbaum said during her regular daily press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City. (Typically associated with Mexico, a piñata is generally described as a container, often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth, that is decorated, filled with candy, and then broken as part of a celebration.)

The president was responding to recent comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who claimed that drug trafficking groups control “vast territories” of Mexico and that they “pose an enormous threat right on our border”.

On the day of Velasco’s meeting in Beijing, Trump shared on social media a map appearing to depict Canada, Mexico, Greenland, Iceland, Cuba and some other Caribbean islands as part of an expanded United States, swathed in the stars and stripes. The day before Trump had referred to the US state of New Mexico as New America.

Earlier, in mid-August, Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, the son of immediate past president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a key ally of President Claudia Sheinbaum, revealed that the US government has revoked his visa.

Brazil’s election is the next front line in Washington’s war against a multipolar world

Brazil goes to the polls on 4 October, and Washington is treating a sovereign election as its own affair – Magnitsky sanctions on the Supreme Court judge who jailed Bolsonaro for attempting a coup, a 50 percent tariff whose removal was openly tied to his release, and a terrorism designation that Brazil’s own Foreign Ministry has warned could be used to justify US military action on Brazilian soil.

The following article by Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez and the Brazilian journalist Sara Vivacqua sets out that campaign of interference. Of particular interest to readers here is what makes Brazil, in their phrase, a hard nut for Washington to crack – and much of the answer lies in its relationship with China.

Brazil now trades more with China than with the United States, and is challenging US tariffs at the World Trade Organisation with Beijing joining the case. China buys more than a quarter of everything Brazil exports. The two countries increasingly settle accounts directly in reais and yuan, backed by a central bank swap line of 190 billion yuan – around $28 billion – cleared outside New York. Chinese investment committed to Brazil reached $6.1 billion in 2025, and BYD now assembles electric vehicles at Camaçari, on the site Ford abandoned in 2021. When the July duties took effect, Xi Jinping telephoned Lula to pledge Beijing’s support for Brazilian sovereignty against “external interference”, and the year set a fresh bilateral trade record.

The authors conclude that the more of the relationship that sits beyond the dollar, the less a hostile US Treasury can squeeze. We recently published a related article by Sara Vivacqua on the same theme.

CPC International Department in solidarity with Laos, Cuba, Brazil and Mexico

Laos

Sun Haiyan, Vice-minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee (IDCPC), went to the Lao Embassy in China on August 11 to mourn the passing of Xaysomphone Phomvihane, Member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of the Lao National Assembly.

Sun conveyed the profound condolences of IDCPC Minister Liu Haixing on the passing of Comrade Xaysomphone Phomvihane to Somphone Sichaleune, Lao Ambassador to China. She said that Comrade Xaysomphone was an outstanding leader of the LPRP and Laos, having made important contributions to the cause of reform and socialist construction in Laos, and having long been actively promoting the development of relations between the two Parties and the two countries.

Somphone expressed sincere gratitude to Sun for coming to pay condolences, stressing that the Lao side is ready to work with the Chinese side to carry forward and promote the traditional friendship between Laos and China.

Cuba

On August 13, Ma Hui, Vice-minister of the IDCPC, attended and addressed an event held by the Cuban Embassy in China to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the leader of the Cuban revolution Fidel Castro.

Ma highly praised Fidel Castro’s historic contributions to the Cuban revolution and socialist construction, as well as to the friendship between China and Cuba. He emphasised that General Secretary Xi Jinping sent a letter to Cuban leaders on the 100th anniversary of Fidel Castro’s birth, and IDCPC Minister Liu Haixing recently led a CPC delegation to visit Cuba and attend the International Colloquium “Fidel, Legacy and Future.” These demonstrate the profound friendship between China and Cuba who stand together through thick and thin and jointly overcome difficulties. China is willing to work with the international community, including Cuba, to jointly uphold international fairness and justice and oppose hegemony and power politics.

Alberto Blanco Silva, Cuban Ambassador to China, offered a comprehensive review of Fidel Castro’s glorious and revolutionary life, particularly his profound friendship towards China and the CPC. The Cuban side will carry forward Fidel Castro’s legacy and actively advance the building of a Cuba-China community with a shared future.

Brazil

Earlier, on August 6, Ma Hui met with a delegation led by Monica Valente, Member of the National Executive Committee of Brazil’s Workers’ Party (PT) and Executive Secretary of the São Paulo Forum. The São Paulo Forum groups most of the major left and progressive political parties and organisations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Ma said the Chinese side looks forward to working hand in hand with the Brazilian side to further deepen exchanges and cooperation between the two Parties, boost party building, national development and progress of each side, and contribute to building a China-Brazil community with a shared future.

Valente said, the PT has long followed closely the theoretical and practical development of the CPC. The PT is ready to strengthen exchanges on the CPC’s experience in party governance and state administration, and push Brazil-China relations towards greater progress through inter-party channels.

Mexico

Meanwhile, on July 10 Minister Liu Haixing met with a delegation of the Labour Party (PT) of Mexico led by party president Alberto Anaya.

Liu noted that in 2024, President Xi Jinping and President Claudia Sheinbaum held a meeting and reached important consensus, charting the course for the development of China-Mexico relations. The CPC and the PT of Mexico share similar ideas and have maintained friendly exchanges ever since the establishment of inter-party relations. The Chinese side is ready to further strengthen institutionalised exchanges between the two Parties, deepen the exchange and mutual learning of experience on such topics as party building and social governance, and use the “political party+” channel to deepen cooperation in such fields as economy and trade, people-to-people and cultural engagement, science and technology, youth, and sub-national exchanges, so as to promote the sustained and steady development of China-Mexico relations.

Anaya said that under the leadership of the CPC, China has achieved great accomplishments in economic and social development, notably in poverty alleviation, environmental protection, and scientific and technological innovation, and has become an advanced country and an important force in the world, providing tremendous encouragement to developing countries including Mexico. The PT of Mexico and the CPC share a profound friendship and similar ideas.

Brazil’s election is a test case for the Global South

The following article by Sara Vivacqua, a Brazilian lawyer and investigative journalist, examines the campaign of legal, diplomatic, economic and military pressure being waged by the Trump administration against Brazil ahead of the presidential election on 4 October. With Venezuela under military assault, Cuba under siege, new US bases in Argentina and Paraguay and marines deployed in Ecuador and Bolivia, Brazil stands as one of the very few remaining obstacles to Washington completing its sphere of influence across the hemisphere.

Of particular interest is the article’s account of China’s role. On 27 July, the day after Lula responded to a fresh 25 percent tariff with an op-ed in the Washington Post, Xi Jinping telephoned him to say that China highly values Brazil’s international status and influence and supports Brazil in safeguarding its sovereignty and independence and opposing external interference. Wang Yi reaffirmed that support once the tariff took effect.

The support goes well beyond communiqués. China is now the destination for 28.7 percent of everything Brazil exports and supplies just over a quarter of its imports. Chinese investment reached $6.1 billion in 2025, a 45 percent rise that made Brazil the single largest destination for Chinese outbound investment. BYD assembles vehicles at Camaçari, in Bahia, on the site Ford abandoned in 2021; Brazilian purchases of Chinese cars rose 147 percent year on year in the first five months of 2026, taking Brazil from sixth place in the world to first. The Salvador–Itaparica bridge, which will be Latin America’s largest cable-stayed cross-sea bridge, is being built by Chinese companies.

Most consequential of all is the monetary architecture. Brazil and China now settle trade directly between the real and the yuan, backed by a central bank swap line of 190 billion yuan, clearing the next working day through China’s own cross-border payment system. Transactions that once had to pass through correspondent banks in New York no longer need to – which, as Sara puts it, is the quiet reason the tariffs bite less than they once did. The more of the relationship that sits outside the dollar system, the less leverage a hostile US Treasury has.

None of this is lost on Washington. The article notes that the “Shield of the Americas”, an 18-member hemispheric intelligence-sharing coalition ostensibly aimed at transnational crime, is widely understood to be directed at China – whose trade with Latin America has risen from $12 billion in 2000 to over $500 billion in 2024. Latin America, the author concludes, has become a priority in the US campaign of encirclement against China and its war on multipolarity, and Brazil’s election now sits at the epicentre of that project.

Las reformas económicas de Cuba y las perspectivas de la renovación socialista

We are pleased to republish below the Spanish translation, by the progressive Chilean journal El Ciudadano, of Carlos Martinez’s recent article, Cuba’s economic reforms and the prospects for socialist renewal.

El siguiente artículo analiza las transformaciones más profundas del modelo económico cubano en más de seis décadas: un programa compuesto por 23 ejes estratégicos y 176 medidas, aprobado por unanimidad este mes por la Asamblea Nacional.

Buena parte de la prensa occidental, así como un sector importante de la izquierda en Occidente, se ha apresurado a presentar estas reformas como el momento en que el bloqueo finalmente consiguió quebrar a la Revolución. Carlos sostiene exactamente lo contrario. A su juicio, las reformas deben entenderse como una estrategia de defensa del socialismo bajo condiciones de asedio, inspirada en la lógica que ha guiado a China desde 1978: el empleo regulado de los mecanismos de mercado y de la inversión extranjera para desarrollar las fuerzas productivas, mientras el Partido Comunista conserva el poder político y la propiedad pública de los sectores estratégicos de la economía. Como señala el especialista en Cuba Isaac Saney, estas medidas, «lejos de representar un retroceso», constituyen «un esfuerzo estratégico por preservar y profundizar las conquistas sociales de la Revolución».

El artículo sitúa las reformas en el contexto de un cerco sin precedentes impuesto por Estados Unidos: 64 años de bloqueo, recrudecido bajo Trump y Rubio, con el suministro de combustible prácticamente estrangulado y apagones de hasta veinte horas diarias. Asimismo, recorre las dos últimas décadas de reformas graduales emprendidas por Cuba, desde los Lineamientos impulsados por Raúl Castro hasta la Zona Especial de Desarrollo Mariel, concebida deliberadamente siguiendo las experiencias de China y Vietnam. La cuestión decisiva, sostiene Carlos, es la misma que distinguió las reformas de Beijing de la perestroika de Gorbachov: ¿quién conserva el poder político? Cuba, argumenta, está recorriendo la senda de la reforma y apertura china, no la vía soviética de la perestroika; y la solidaridad de China —expresada en la cooperación energética, alimentaria y en las relaciones entre ambos partidos comunistas— puede resultar determinante.

En palabras del presidente Miguel Díaz-Canel: «No hay soberanía con un plato vacío». Y también: «No nos vamos a reunir solamente para resistir. Nos vamos a reunir para crear. Para producir. Para decidir. Para controlar. Para prosperar y para transformar».

China and Brazil pledge mutual support

Chinese President Xi Jinping took a phone call from Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on July 27.

President Xi noted that in recent years, China and Brazil have made good progress in building a community with a shared future and synergising development strategies. This has played an important role in promoting respective national development and the wellbeing of the two peoples and provided much-needed stability for the turbulent world.

Xi stressed that facing new circumstances and new challenges, China and Brazil, as important members of the Global South, should firmly stand on the right side of history and the progress of human civilisation, and play a more constructive role in reforming and improving the global governance system and upholding international fairness and justice. The two sides should jointly advance the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, steer it in the right direction, maintain BRICS solidarity, produce more outcomes, and write a new chapter of uniting for strength within the Global South. China values Brazil’s international standing and important influence, supports its efforts in safeguarding sovereignty and independence, opposing external interference, and maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world.

President Lula said that the building of a Brazil-China community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet has made sound progress, cooperation across various areas has enjoyed fast development, bilateral trade has reached a record high, and activities under the Brazil-China Year of Culture have solidified the foundation of popular support for friendship between the two countries.

Brazil is ready to step up multilateral coordination with China, uphold the authority of the UN, strengthen BRICS solidarity and cooperation, firmly safeguard multilateralism and oppose power politics, and stay committed to resolving hotspots through dialogue and consultation so as to jointly safeguard international fairness and justice and world peace and stability.

The call between the two heads of state was preceded by a meeting between the two countries’ foreign ministers on July 22. Wang Yi and his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira met in the Philippines’ capital Manila in the margins of meetings convened by ASEAN, the Association of South East Asian Nations.

Wang Yi noted that under the strategic guidance of the two presidents, China and Brazil have made positive progress in jointly building a community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet. The two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership has always been at the forefront of the world, and it is necessary for both sides to maintain strategic communication, strengthen strategic coordination and deepen strategic cooperation. Brazil is an emerging economy with global influence and a representative force of the Global South. China is pleased to see Brazil playing a greater role in international affairs and appreciates Brazil’s efforts in speaking up for justice and upholding fairness for developing countries. China will continue to support Brazil in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests, and believes that Brazil will, as always, respect and support China in upholding its core interests.

Mauro Vieira stated that Brazil looks forward to working with China to further deepen cooperation in such fields as finance and trade and to strengthen coordination on multilateral platforms including the United Nations and BRICS. Brazil is very pleased to join the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization initiated by China and looks forward to taking this as an opportunity to advance cooperation on scientific and technological innovation.

These diplomatic moves come against a backdrop of increased US pressure and threats against Brazil. Reporting on the foreign ministers’ meeting, the South China Morning Post noted that:

“Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Brazil that Beijing would continue to support its sovereignty, security, and development interests hours after a 25 per cent US tariff on Brazilian goods took effect.”

It added: “The US has imposed tariffs tied in part to the prosecution of the former president Jair Bolsonaro, and this month designated the First Capital Command and the Red Command as foreign terrorist organisations”, [which can provide a pretext for hostile acts on the part of the United States up to and including military intervention]…

“Brazilian Development, Industry and Trade Minister Marcio Elias Rosa said US officials argued during the talks [that preceded the US imposition of tariffs] that critical minerals exploration should be denied to entities that do not operate on market terms, a reference to Beijing.

“Rare earths and critical minerals ‘belong to the Brazilian people’, he said, adding that his team rejected the proposal.”

Then, on July 25, it was reported that Brazil had rejected visa applications from two US Department of State officials over concerns that their visit could support groups questioning Brazil’s electoral system.

Riley M. Barnes, assistant secretary from the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and Samuel Samson, deputy assistant secretary from the same bureau, had submitted their visa applications to the Brazilian government on July 20, planning to meet with far-right presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro and other right-wing figures.

Brazil will hold the first round of its presidential election on October 4, with a potential runoff scheduled for October 25.

Trump, Panama and the Monroe Doctrine

Donald Trump has declared that the United States “will not let China take over the Panama Canal”.

Start with the obvious: China does not own, run or control the Panama Canal, and has no plans to do so. The canal is the sovereign property of Panama, operated by the Panama Canal Authority. The Chinese Embassy in Panama has stated plainly that China has never participated in the canal’s management or operation, respects Panama’s sovereignty over it, and recognises it as a permanently neutral international waterway. There is no Chinese takeover, planned or otherwise.

What actually exists is a modest commercial footprint. A Hong Kong company, CK Hutchison, won – through open bidding – the rights to handle cargo and warehousing at two terminals at either end of the canal. Terminals, not the waterway; commerce, not control. Chinese vessels transit the canal paying the same tolls, under the same rules, as everyone else.

And even that footprint is being dismantled: under relentless US pressure, Hutchison’s ports are being sold to a consortium led by the US asset manager BlackRock, while Panama has already been strong-armed out of the Belt and Road Initiative.

There’s a rich historical irony here. The one country that has actually seized and controlled the canal is the United States. Washington engineered Panama’s secession from Colombia in 1903 to build and own the canal; the US held Panama as a colonial enclave for most of the twentieth century; and invaded the country in 1989, killing hundreds of Panamanians. It returned the canal only because a mass sovereignty movement, and the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, forced it to. To this day the US retains a treaty-based claim to send troops into Panama whenever it unilaterally decides a “security risk” exists. If you want to identify the foreign power that constrains Panama’s sovereignty, there it is.

This is the Monroe Doctrine, alive and well. Trump’s own National Security Strategy states the aim plainly: to “deny non-Hemispheric competitors the ability to… own or control strategically vital assets in our Hemisphere”. Latin America is once again to be treated as the imperial backyard, and any Chinese presence – however commercial, however welcomed by the host nation – recast as a hostile incursion to be purged.

And the canal is only one piece on a much larger board. Driving Chinese investors out of Panama belongs to a broader global strategy: the same logic behind Washington’s designs on Greenland, Iceland, the Baltic and the Strait of Hormuz. The goal is to control the world’s trade routes, keep the oil trade priced in dollars, and preserve a financial system so thoroughly weaponised that the US can seize any country’s assets at will – as it has done with Venezuela’s gold, Russia’s reserves and Iran’s savings. Panama’s canal is a chokepoint on that map, and the “China threat” is simply the pretext for tightening Washington’s grip on it.

But Latin American countries are turning to China for a reason. Since establishing ties with Panama in 2017, China has helped revive stalled infrastructure and supported the country’s coffee industry through the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation. Across the region, trade with, and investment from, China have grown more than 20-fold since 2000, and the new Chancay mega-port in Peru is reshaping trade across the Pacific – cooperation on terms of sovereign equality and mutual benefit that Washington has never offered and never will.

The real question isn’t whether China will “take over” the Panama Canal. It’s whether Panama, and the region, get to make their own choices – or whether the empire next door still decides for them.

China and Vietnam support Venezuela after devastating earthquakes

Following the devastating double earthquakes that hit Venezuela on June 24, which at time of writing had claimed at least 1,450 lives with more than 3,100 injured and 50,000 or more people missing, and caused extensive damage to infrastructure, including homes, hospitals and the country’s main international airport, China and its socialist neighbour Vietnam have joined the international relief effort for their sister nation in Latin America.

On June 26, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolences to Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez.

On behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, Xi mourned those killed in the earthquakes and expressed sincere sympathy to the bereaved families and those injured. China, he said, stands ready to provide assistance to Venezuela in disaster relief and reconstruction.

He also expressed confidence that under the leadership of the Venezuelan government, the Venezuelan people will overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes at an early date.

At time of writing, it was announced at the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s regular press conference on June 29 that China has decided to offer additional aid to Venezuela for post-quake relief and reconstruction.

According to spokesperson Guo Jiakun, the additional emergency material assistance is worth 100 million yuan (about 14.67 million US dollars), following the cash assistance that has already been provided.

Guo had previously responded to relevant questions at press conferences on June 25 and June 26, where he said that both the Chinese government and the Red Cross Society of China will provide emergency humanitarian aid to Venezuela, adding that the Venezuelan government has thanked China for its support.

In the meantime, Chinese in Venezuela lost no time in supporting relief efforts once the earthquakes struck, with several Chinese-funded enterprises in the country mobilising relief efforts.

The Xinhua News Agency reports that the companies responded quickly to the disaster and, under the guidance of the Chinese Embassy, coordinated with local Chinese communities and business associations to take part in relief work. Their efforts included providing heavy machinery and medical supplies and deploying rescue teams.

Overseas Chinese in Venezuela have so far donated about 500 tonnes of relief supplies. The supplies, including bottled water, biscuits, diapers, milk, rice, sugar and fish, have benefited nearly 10,000 families affected by the disaster.

Xinhua also introduced the moving story of Pitney Delgado, a Venezuelan worker, who has worked alongside Chinese colleagues for more than ten years. When Xinhua interviewed him, he had been working in the relief effort for more than 50 hours without rest.

Delgado said years of working with Chinese colleagues had left him with a lasting impression of their “warm hearts,” strengthening his willingness to help others in times of crisis. That commitment was reinforced by a practical skill: more than a decade ago, while working at a Chinese company, he learned to operate heavy machinery under Chinese mentors.

He first met Jiang Wangbing, now president of the China-Venezuela Chamber of Commerce, in 2015, when he began learning crane operation.

“It was a huge machine weighing dozens of tonnes,” Delgado said. “At first I was nervous. One mistake could damage property or hurt someone.”

With patient instruction, he said he mastered basic crane operations within a week. “The training was very focused. They wanted you to learn everything,” he said.

After the earthquakes, the China-Venezuela Chamber of Commerce quickly mobilised cranes and heavy machinery for rescue operations at collapsed buildings. Delgado joined without hesitation. He said he could not stop working after seeing on social media people digging through rubble with their bare hands. “Without machines, how could we clear the debris?” he said. “It would be impossible.”

Asked about working under dangerous conditions, he said: “There were aftershocks and unstable structures. Of course, I was afraid. But when I thought people might still be trapped, I could not stop.”

“As long as I am needed here, as long as there are still people to rescue, I will keep working.”

Meanwhile, socialist Vietnam has launched a major national effort to support Venezuela.

The country’s Ministry of National Defence promptly decided to deploy an 82-member military humanitarian and disaster relief team to support search and rescue operations and post-earthquake recovery efforts. To support relief efforts, the Vietnam People’s Army has established a humanitarian assistance mission comprising command personnel, a military engineering search-and-rescue unit, medical personnel, and a canine search-and-rescue unit.

During the mission, the Vietnamese force will use search dogs to locate victims trapped under collapsed structures, conduct urban search-and-rescue operations, provide emergency medical assistance to survivors, and carry out other humanitarian tasks to help Venezuelan authorities and local communities recover from the disaster.

Addressing a meeting to assign tasks to the rescuers in the capital Hanoi, General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and Deputy Minister of National Defence, stressed that the mission carries profound international significance, reflecting the party and state’s foreign policy, contributing to enhancing the country’s reputation in global disaster response and reaffirming the traditional friendship and comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Venezuela.

He stressed that the operation will be demanding and potentially dangerous, requiring close coordination with personnel from the Vietnamese People’s Public Security force, international rescue teams and Venezuelan authorities and people. He instructed the team to comply with local laws, ensure the safety of personnel and equipment, actively assist local communities within their capabilities, and uphold the image and traditions of the VPA throughout the mission.

The mission is also transporting about 88 tonnes of equipment and relief supplies, including 50 compressed ration bars, 1,600 tents and 15 generators.

For its part, the Ministry of Public Security also held a departure ceremony in Hanoi on June 28 for a 41-member search and rescue team heading to Venezuela.

Following instructions from Vietnam’s party and state leadership, the ministry decided to send a specialised team to support searching for missing victims, rescue and emergency response operations, and post-disaster recovery efforts.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister Senior Lieutenant General Le Van Tuyen said the deployment reflects not only humanitarian support but also international solidarity and the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Venezuela.

Estela del Valle Quijada Suarez, Chargé d’Affaires of the Venezuelan Embassy in Vietnam, expressed appreciation to Vietnam’s party, state, government and Ministry of Public Security for the timely assistance, describing the mission as a symbol of friendship, solidarity, and mutual support between the two countries’ people during a difficult period.

Vietnam Airlines, the country’s national carrier, organised a special flight to carry the 124 members of the two rescue teams, their 10 search and rescue dogs, approximately 25 tonnes of humanitarian supplies, specialised equipment and rescue gear to support relief operations in the earthquake-affected areas.

To ensure the timely deployment of the mission, Vietnam Airlines mobilised extensive resources, including ground service personnel and a dedicated flight crew of 23 members. The airline also completed logistical preparations and flight clearance procedures within a short timeframe to meet the urgent requirements of the mission.

Laureano Ortega visits China

Laureano Ortega Murillo, Presidential Advisor of Nicaragua for the Promotion of Investment, Trade and International Cooperation, and Coordinator for Cooperation with China, visited China recently.

On June 22, Laureano and his delegation met with Vice-minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee (IDCPC) Ma Hui.

The following article was originally published on the IDCPC website.

Ma Hui Meets with Laureano Ortega Murillo, Presidential Advisor of Nicaragua and Coordinator for Cooperation with China

Beijing, June 22 (IDCPC) – Ma Hui, Vice-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, met here today with a delegation headed by Laureano Ortega Murillo, Presidential Advisor of Nicaragua for the Promotion of Investment, Trade and International Cooperation, and Coordinator for Cooperation with China.

Ma said that since the two countries resumed diplomatic relations five years ago, China-Nicaragua relations have achieved leapfrog development under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state. China appreciates Nicaragua’s firm adherence to the one-China principle and will continue to support Nicaragua in safeguarding national sovereignty and dignity, independently choosing a development path suited to its national conditions, and opposing foreign interference. The CPC cherishes its traditional friendship with the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) of Nicaragua, and stands ready to deepen the exchange of experience in state governance and administration and expand the breadth and depth of inter-party exchanges, so as to advance sustained and steady development of China-Nicaragua relations. Ma also briefed the guests on the rich essence of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building and on the education campaign on establishing and practicing the correct view of governance performance.

Laureano highly commended the results of bilateral cooperation over the past five years. He reiterated Nicaragua’s firm adherence to the one-China principle, and said that inter-party exchanges are an important pillar of bilateral relations. The FSLN stands ready to further deepen inter-party exchanges and cooperation, strengthen the sharing of experience in party governance and state governance, and deliver greater benefits to the two peoples.

Erwin Ramirez, Minister of Development, Industry and Commerce of Nicaragua, Ramiro José Cruz Flores, Nicaragua’s Ambassador to China, and others attended the meeting.

China and Brazil hold Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira visited China, May 31-June 2, at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

On June 1, they held the fifth China-Brazil Foreign Ministerial-Level Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue in Beijing.

Wang Yi stated that in recent years, under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, China-Brazil relations have achieved a milestone leap from a comprehensive strategic partnership to a China-Brazil community with a shared future. Practical cooperation across various fields has continuously improved and upgraded, bringing the peoples of the two countries closer than ever before. China and Brazil have maintained close coordination on the international stage, demonstrating a sense of responsibility and emerging as a vital force for maintaining stability and promoting development in today’s world. With changes unseen in a century accelerating and the international community increasingly longing for peace and stability, reform of the global governance system should be placed on the agenda as soon as possible. Both sides should fully implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, continue to deepen the building of a China-Brazil community with a shared future, and jointly withstand external challenges. The two countries should build greater synergy in advancing their respective modernisation processes and strengthening solidarity and self-reliance among Global South countries, while providing greater certainty for a turbulent world.

Mauro Vieira stated that the Brazil-China relationship is a benchmark for developing countries in upholding independence, strengthening solidarity and enhancing coordination. The successful mutual visits between the two heads of state have elevated the bilateral relationship to a China-Brazil community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet. This has provided crucial strategic guidance for both sides to deepen political mutual trust and strengthen bonds of cooperation, which holds even greater significance in the current international context.

Mauro Vieira also met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on the same day.

Pointing out that practical cooperation between China and Brazil is highly complementary and enjoys a strong internal driving force, Han said both sides should give better play to the role of mechanisms such as the China-Brazil High-level Coordination and Cooperation Committee to work for greater science and technology cooperation, with higher added value and greater strategic significance.

Vieira said at present, multilateralism is suffering an unprecedented blow, and it is particularly important for Brazil and China to deepen the construction of the community of a shared future.

China and Cuba stand together at UN

During his recent stay in New York, where he attended the United Nations Security Council high-level meeting on ‘Upholding the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter and Strengthening the UN-centred International System’, called by China during its rotating presidency, along with the meeting of the Group of Friends of Global Governance, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also held numerous bilateral meetings with his counterparts who had also made special trips to join the meetings.

On May 27, Wang met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.

Having conveyed President Xi Jinping’s sincere greetings to Comrade Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz and President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, Wang noted that the theme of the UN meeting has received wide response and support. To achieve its goal, it is essential to respect the sovereignty and independence of all countries and oppose all forms of power politics and bullying. The Cuban people, united as one, firmly safeguard their legitimate rights and interests, demonstrating a strong will to oppose external blockade and interference, which has earned the respect of the international community. China will continue to stand up for justice for Cuba, support the just cause of the Cuban people, and assist Cuba in its economic and social development.

Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla thanked China for inviting Cuba to the meeting, stating that the world today is facing turmoil and disorder. Only China is capable of convening such a meeting, building consensus among the international community, and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the Global South. Cuba is experiencing its most severe situation since the revolution, the root cause of which is the US blockade and sanctions against Cuba. Cuba appreciates China’s firm support for its sovereignty and security, as well as the assistance and vocal support provided during difficult times. This fully demonstrates the special friendship between Cuba and China.

The previous day, Minister Rodríguez had addressed the Security Council meeting.

In his remarks, he acknowledged China’s leadership in convening the debate and linked the defence of the international order to the need to address conflicts and threats affecting global stability.

The Foreign Minister denounced US policy toward Cuba, which he described as a violation of international law and a threat to regional peace. He rejected the indictment against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, considering it a politically motivated decision, and warned of its possible use as a pretext to justify military aggression against the island. He also noted that the energy blockade and the tightening of the embargo have serious humanitarian consequences for the Cuban population.

He reiterated that Cuba does not pose a threat to the United States and reaffirmed the country’s willingness to engage in bilateral dialogue on issues of common interest, always based on respect for sovereignty and non-interference. Finally, he called on the international community, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Global South, the UN Security Council, and the UN General Assembly to act to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe or military aggression against Cuba.