The Dr. Ayubán Gutiérrez Quintanilla, vice president of the National Association of Economists and Accountants of Cuba (ANEC), acknowledged this week that the country is "obligated" to create a business environment that is attractive to foreign investors, including those from allied nations, if it wishes to effectively integrate into the global economy.
His statements were made during the Round Table broadcast by Canal Caribe and Cubadebate, where journalists, economists, and banking professionals discussed the impact of the 176 economic and social measures approved on June 18 by the National Assembly of People's Power in an extraordinary session.
Gutiérrez Quintanilla was blunt in pointing out the structural limitations of the Cuban economy: "Unfortunately, we are an insular economy, small, very open, and we depend heavily on the external sector."
The official contrasted that reality with that of the former Soviet Union: "It was not like the Soviet Union, which was a continental country that had almost all the resources necessary to develop an economy within its national territory and borders with a number of countries. We do not have that situation."
In that context, he argued that external pressure —referring to the U.S. embargo— only accelerates the need for change.
"There are some topics that are complex, yet they are viewed through a different lens in light of the threat faced by the country, which compels us to make decisions that will allow us, first and foremost, to better integrate into the global economy."
One of the most revealing points of his intervention was the distinction between allied governments and their companies.
"Not only is the problem with the United States. We have friends around the world who suffer because of their government's stance towards Cuba, but their business system is not the same as their government. Trade relations are established between businesses."
"We are obligated to create an economic business system that is also attractive to foreign investors, including those from friendly countries, who can support and align with state assistance. However, in the end, it is their companies that need to see the potential for profit in investing in the Cuban economy."
The package approved by the National Assembly is regarded as the most comprehensive since the Special Period of the 1990s and is organized into 23 strategic axes.
Among the most significant measures are the authorization of private banking and the opening up to foreign direct investment in private companies and cooperatives, the transformation of state-owned enterprises into joint-stock companies, the removal of the limit of 100 workers for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, and the extension of land use rights up to 99 years.
It was also approved that the municipalities can attract foreign direct investment autonomously, as well as export and import with greater independence from the central government.
The president of ANEC, José Carlos del Toro Ríos, indicated during the parliamentary session on June 19 that the 176 proposals also reflect the analyses from the organization's last congress, which addressed five fronts: macroeconomic stabilization, transformation of the economic model, support for the agricultural sector, strengthening of accounting practices, and forecasting of social costs.
The United States, however, described the reforms as "superficial smoke signals", an assessment that contrasts with the urgent tone with which the regime itself presents the transformations.
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