Cuba rejects reforms in the national market and loses million-dollar trade agreement with China – Diario La Página –

China, Cuba‘s second trading partner and one of its closest political allies in the world; According to an investigation by an international media, he would have dealt a serious blow to the Cuban regime after supposedly canceling a contract that was a priority for the regime: the import of sugar from the island, a little more than 400,000 tons per year.

This information was revealed by the Financial Times newspaper, which reported that Beijing is no longer the “sugar daddy” of Havana, after having tired of waiting for Raúl Castro’s dictatorship to make profound market reforms in the economy despite the severe crisis in the country.

According to the Financial Times, which cites diplomatic sources, officials and businessmen from China, Beijing’s apparent frustration with Havana’s refusal to implement serious market reforms in the Cuban economy would have caused the cancellation of trade agreements and a significant reduction of Chinese exports to the island, which were 1.7 billion dollars for 2017, rising to 1.1 billion dollars in 2022.

Meanwhile, the island still owes hundreds of millions of dollars to Chinese companies such as Huawei and Youtong for the supply of vehicles, machinery and technology.

Dr. Rafael Marrero, Economist and member of the Advisory Board of Forbes Magazine, assures that China continues to be a clear threat to the United States by using Cuba, however, he questions this report from the Financial Times.

Added to this is the fact that Cuba’s economic collapse has caused Havana to formally ask Vladimir Putin, this year’s president of the BRICS, for entry into this group of emerging economies that since 2019 were created by Brazil, Russia, India and China, and whose meeting at the end of October, in Kazan, Russia, the designated Cuban dictator, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has been invited.

But although the Cuban regime seems to be asking Moscow for “cocoa” to access credit and more help to try to revive its collapsed economy, experts cited by the newspaper El Nuevo Herald consider that an alliance between Cuba and Russia, current president of the BRICS , it would be enough for Havana to join this select group, however, the island would not contribute any tangible good that would help legitimize this group, so it would be clear that Cuba is left alone.