The opening session of our China Conference 2025, held in London on September 27, was addressed by senior diplomats from the embassies of the People’s Republic of China, Republic of Cuba, Russian Federation, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
Below we reprint the main body of the inspiring speech delivered by Pablo Arturo Ginarte Sampedro, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba. He notes that: “This year we celebrate a momentous milestone: the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the People’s Republic of China. In 1960, revolutionary Cuba became the first nation in the Western Hemisphere to recognise the People’s Republic. That decision was an act of sovereignty and principle, and it laid the foundation for what has become an unbreakable, ironclad friendship. That friendship was forged by the historic leaders of our revolutions, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz and Chairman Mao Zedong.”
It is a profound honor to address you today from this historic place, Bolívar Hall, a beacon of Latin American culture and resistance here in London, graciously hosted by our dear Venezuelan comrades. On behalf of the people and government of the Republic of Cuba, I bring you the warmest, most fraternal greetings.
This year we celebrate a momentous milestone: the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the People’s Republic of China. In 1960, revolutionary Cuba became the first nation in the Western Hemisphere to recognise the People’s Republic. That decision was an act of sovereignty and principle, and it laid the foundation for what has become an unbreakable, ironclad friendship.
That friendship was forged by the historic leaders of our revolutions, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz and Chairman Mao Zedong. From those early days it has grown into a comprehensive strategic partnership. Today we work hand in hand to build a China-Cuba community with a shared future.
Our partnership extends well beyond trade and infrastructure. Equally important is our collaboration in science and technology. Together we are building sovereign scientific capacity in the Global South so the benefits of the fourth industrial revolution serve people, not only the profits of a few multinational corporations. This scientific solidarity is essential for achieving genuine independence in the 21st century.
For Cuba, these are not abstract ideals. For more than 60 years my country has resisted the most brutal and prolonged economic, commercial, and financial blockade in human history, a criminal policy imposed by the United States. In that struggle our friendship with China has been a vital pillar of support. Through trade, investment, and solidarity, China has offered a crucial lifeline and shown the world a model of relations based on sincere mutual assistance rather than imperial domination.
What Socialist China offers the world is remarkable. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people have achieved what can only be described as a historic triumph: lifting nearly 800 million people out of extreme poverty. That achievement is the single greatest contribution to global human rights in our lifetime. It is a victory for China, for socialism, and an inspiration for the entire Global South.
At a moment when humanity faces the existential threat of climate change, China is again at the forefront. It is the global engine of the green transition, producing the majority of the world’s solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles. China is demonstrating that development can proceed without destroying the planet and that a socialist path can help build an ecological civilisation.
The same imperialist logic that tries to strangle my country through a criminal blockade is now attempting to stop China’s peaceful development through a so-called ‘New Cold War.’ They will not succeed. Cuba and China stand together in the United Nations and in every international forum. We deeply appreciate China’s steadfast support for the resolution demanding an end to the blockade.
Cuba will always defend the one-China principle and oppose any interference in China’s internal affairs.
We stand for a multipolar world governed by international law, not by the unilateral dictates of any single power. We wholeheartedly support the Global Development, Global Security, and Global Civilisation Initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping because they offer a realistic path toward peace, justice, and shared prosperity for all.
This vision of a world built on solidarity is not new to Cuba. We have practiced it for more than six decades. Even while enduring a brutal blockade, our commitment to humanity has never wavered. Indeed, during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, while wealthy capitalist nations practiced a cruel vaccine apartheid, Cuba sent 58 medical brigades to 42 countries and territories to help fight the virus. Today 24,000 Cuban health collaborators continue to serve in 56 nations, primarily in the Global South. That humanism is at the core of socialism: we do not give what is left over; we share what little we have. This same spirit of solidarity has guided Cuba’s internationalism for decades.
It is this spirit, embodied by our dear comrades from Venezuela and China here today, that gives us unwavering confidence in the future.
The path to socialism is not easy. It demands sacrifice, unity, and courage. Yet the achievements of the Chinese people, and the enduring resistance of the Cuban people, show that a better world is not only possible, it is being built, day by day.
Thank you.
Muy bueno ese discurso, sin dudas siempre será el socialismo el camino más justo, mas humanitario para las sociedades. Hay que ver la gigantesca desigualdad social de los países capitalistas, como es posible una minoría ganar varios millones mensualmente, cuando la gran mayoría tiene un salario mínimo de solo mil, donde hay tanto desempleo y tantas personas viviendo en la calle y alimentándose de sobras, eso nunca lo verás en Cuba