In his first interview on American television, aired this Sunday on the "Meet the Press" program of NBC News, Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel explained why Cuba has not been able to follow the economic model of China and Vietnam, countries that combine a single-party system with market economies.
Díaz-Canel argued that the fundamental difference lies in the duration of the embargo. China and Vietnam were also subjected to U.S. sanctions, but those pressures lasted just a decade, while Cuba has been under the embargo for over 60 years.
"China and Vietnam are countries that are building socialism, like Cuba," Díaz-Canel told journalist Kristen Welker. "Blockades that lasted less time. They lasted about a decade. When they came out of that blockade, they had all the opportunities to develop their capabilities for the construction of socialism."
The Cuban leader stated that he has thoroughly studied the Chinese reforms and used them as a reference for Cuba, and noted that he visited China and Vietnam on his last trip in September 2025.
According to Díaz-Canel, when those countries began their economic ascent, they started from a "less favorable" development situation than that of Cuba today.
"When you study the times when China and Vietnam were able to take off, they started from a less favorable situation in terms of development than the one Cuba has right now," he stated. "Eliminate the blockade, lift the blockade, and see what we can do."
The interview, recorded on April 9 in Havana and aired in its full version of 53 minutes this Sunday, also served for Díaz-Canel to refuse to commit to releasing more than 1,200 political prisoners, including the rapper Maykel Osorbo, who has been imprisoned since 2021 for writing a protest song that won two Latin Grammys. He described the narrative about political prisoners in Cuba as a "great lie" and "slander."
In response to the question of whether he would resign to save Cuba, he replied indignantly: "Have you asked that question to any other president in the world?" and stated that the "concept of revolutionaries who surrender and resign" is not part of his vocabulary.
Regarding negotiations with Washington, Díaz-Canel confirmed that discussions are ongoing but clarified that he has not spoken directly with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that he does not know him personally. "Dialogue and agreements with the U.S. government are possible, but they are challenging," he stated.
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