China has reaffirmed its firm political support for Cuba following a new United States executive order that labels Havana a national security threat and authorizes punitive measures against countries supplying oil to the island.
Beijing condemns the US executive order as interference in Cuban sovereignty
The position was articulated by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun during a routine press conference in Beijing on Thursday. Responding to a question from Cuban state media, Guo said China “firmly supports Cuba in defending its national sovereignty and security, and rejecting external interference,” directly addressing the order signed a day earlier by US President Donald Trump.
The US directive expands Washington’s long-standing economic pressure on Havana by invoking national emergency powers, accusing Cuba of close ties with China and Russia, and permitting tariffs on nations involved in supplying oil to the Cuban government. US officials argue the measures are necessary to counter what they describe as security risks posed by Cuba’s external partnerships.
Beijing strongly rejected that rationale. Guo described the US actions as “inhumane” and said they undermine the Cuban people’s rights to subsistence and development. He urged Washington to respect international law and international norms governing state sovereignty, and to immediately lift what China consistently refers to as an illegal economic blockade and sanctions regime.
China’s remarks were consistent with earlier statements made by the Foreign Ministry earlier in the week, in which Guo characterised Cuba’s economic difficulties as the direct result of decades of US pressure. He described the policy as a “brutal assault” on a peaceful country and reiterated China’s willingness to continue providing assistance to Cuba under its own national leadership.
Strategic signalling amid wider geopolitical tensions
From Beijing’s perspective, the statement serves both a principled and strategic purpose. China has long opposed unilateral sanctions and extra-territorial measures, arguing they destabilise regions and set dangerous precedents in international relations. The Cuba issue also resonates with China’s own experience of US tariffs, export controls and technology restrictions in recent years.
The timing of the remarks coincides with renewed emphasis on “America First” policies by the Trump administration, raising concerns in Beijing that Chinese commercial interests, including energy-related firms, could be indirectly affected by the new measures. By publicly backing Cuba, China is also signalling solidarity to partners across the Global South and reinforcing its broader advocacy for a multipolar international order.
While no new economic or energy initiatives were announced, the statement underscores Beijing’s resolve to resist what it sees as coercive diplomacy, even at the risk of adding to existing strains in US-China relations.The statement reflects China’s long-standing opposition to unilateral sanctions