Havana, Cuba.- The Chairman of the International Relations Commission of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Rolando Gonzalez Patricio, held on Monday night a fraternal and fruitful virtual exchange with the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, Lou Qinjian.
Speaking from the Baragua Hall of the National Capitol, Gonzalez Patricio conveyed warm greetings from the President of the Cuban Parliament, Esteban Lazo Hernandez, to his Chinese counterpart Zhao Leji, as well as his invitation to pay an official visit to our country.
He especially recalled the historic, fraternal and special ties that unite our parties, governments and peoples; forged centuries ago.
In turn, he stressed that in 1960, the young Cuban Revolution, led by its historic leader, Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, sovereignly recognized the People’s Republic of China as the sole and legitimate representative of the Chinese people.
“Cuba is honored to have been the first country in the Western Hemisphere to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, which meant an act of historical justice and also of sovereignty in the face of U.S. pressures. This fact modestly contributed to the beginning and progress of the links between the People’s Republic of China and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean”, said the head of the Parliamentary Committee on International Relations.
In this sense, he stressed that, during 63 years of bilateral ties, the ties that unite us have become an example of brotherhood, solidarity and cooperation between socialist countries, based on equality and mutual respect.
He also highlighted the sympathy between both peoples and the exchange between our parties on the best experiences and lessons in the construction of Socialism, based on the specific realities of each country.
On the other hand, Gonzalez Patricio thanked the Chinese government for its unwavering support to the Cuban Revolution and its firm stance against the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the US government against the largest of the Antilles for more than six decades.
Likewise, he ratified Cuba’s unequivocal position of support for the “one China” principle and condemnation of any interference in the internal affairs of that sister nation.
Regarding inter-parliamentary ties, he praised their excellent state, evidenced by the exchange of dissimilar visits, the holding of bilateral videoconferences and the consultation of positions in international parliamentary events, as well as through exchanges with the respective diplomatic representations that have strengthened the ties between both countries.
The Cuban legislator proposed working together with a view to signing an agreement to establish a mechanism for inter-parliamentary meetings to evaluate and promote relations in all areas of mutual interest.
For his part, Lou Qinjian said in his remarks that the ties between China and Cuba have become an example of solidarity and cooperation between socialist countries, and of sincerity and mutual assistance between developing nations.
He pointed to the consensus reached between the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, and the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, during their visit to Beijing in November 2022 and renewed during their meeting in August 2023 within the framework of the BRICS Summit in South Africa, which evidences the excellent state of our political ties today.
We will continue to firmly support the Cuban people in their just struggle against the US blockade and in their economic and social development strategy, said the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress of China.
He also considered that “the exchanges between the legislative bodies are an important part of the community of shared future China-Cuba”. In this way, he specified that, in recent years, both legislative bodies have maintained close coordination playing an active role for the development of bilateral relations.
“China is willing to work together with Cuba to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, share experiences on the development of Socialism and raise the collaboration between both parties and countries to a higher level,” he added in his speech.