14ymedio, Havana, 13 December 2023 — The province of Artemisa, considered until recently one of Cuba’s granaries and a supplier of agricultural products to Havana, increasingly depends on the generosity of international cooperation for its own food. After donations of tractors and other materials from Mexico, it was China’s turn this Tuesday to deliver food for the basic family basket sold through the ration system — in particular, rice, wheat flour and milk.
According to the Xinhua agency, the donation was delivered by the Asian country’s ambassador to Cuba, Ma Hui, and received by the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Artemisa, Gladys Martínez Verdecia, who said that these products will also benefit health centers and families in vulnerable situations.
Ma explained during the signing of the gift’s delivery that it is not a large donation in quantity or value. However, “it is a ’small and beautiful’ project with enormous significance for both countries” that constitutes a joint action between the Chinese and Cuban parties to promote “the philosophy of development centered on the people.”
“This is a vivid example of the promotion of the joint construction of a shared future between China and Cuba,” said the Chinese ambassador, who said that his country has always felt “in its own flesh” the needs of Cubans, so he hopes that this act of kindness – which will not be the last – will strengthen the ties between the two countries.
Martínez Verdecia, thanking him for the donation, explained that it arrives at a “crucial moment” for the Cuban economy
Martínez Verdecia, thanking him for the donation, explained that it comes at a “crucial moment” for the Cuban economy, and she blamed the U.S. embargo on the Island for the shortage of basic necessities, such as food and medicine, that Cubans suffer today.
Before signing for the delivery of the contribution, the ambassador visited the Muchurri Farm, in the municipality of Caimito, dedicated to the production of exotic birds. This activity coincides with others that have recently been carried out in Artemisa by officials of the Government and the Communist Party of China (PPCh) when visiting the province to learn about its potential. A senior official of the PPCh, Li Xi, visited the Frank País Credit and Services Cooperative in Güira de Melena in September.
The Mariel Special Development Zone in Artemisa was created from the experience of China, according to its general director, Ana Teresa Igarza Martínez, who accompanied Ambassador Ma Hui on a tour of the facilities in November 2021.
China already has a long history of providing aid to the regime. During 2023, the Asian country has given several gifts to the Island. In January, the donation of 100 million dollars was made after Miguel Díaz-Canel’s trip to China in November 2022.
Subsequently, in June, the Chinese Red Cross Society gave the Government of Cuba an emergency donation of 100,000 dollars for the recovery of the eastern region of the Island after flooding, and last September China gave more than 114 million dollars for the construction of a 5 megawatt photovoltaic park in the province of Holguín.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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