The Vice Prime Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga presided over the reception ceremony for the third shipment of 15,000 tons of rice donated by the Chinese government on Thursday at the Haiphong terminal of the Port of Havana, in a day that the Cuban regime and Beijing deliberately framed within the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth.
"On a day as special as today #100YearsWithFidel, #China delivers to #Cuba a third shipment of 15 thousand tons of rice, which is part of a donation totaling 60 thousand tons. The best tribute to the Commander in Chief is our solidarity," the Chinese government posted on X.
The event was also attended by the Minister of Domestic Trade, Betsy Díaz Velázquez, and the Chinese Ambassador to Cuba, Hua Xin, who connected the presentation with the commemorative date through his account on the social network X: "The best tribute to the Commander in Chief is our solidarity, until victory always!"
This third shipment is part of a total donation of 60,000 tons of rice that Beijing pledged to Havana at the beginning of 2026, distributed in four batches of 15,000 tons each.
The first shipment arrived in Havana in the spring of this year; the second unloaded at the port of Santiago de Cuba at the end of June, and the third arrived this Thursday in the capital.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment (MINCEX), "this donation reaffirms the deep bonds of friendship and cooperation that unite China and Cuba, cemented and promoted by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz."
The aid package approved by China in early 2026 was not limited to rice: it also included 80 million dollars for electrical equipment and other urgent needs, within the context of the severe energy and food crisis currently facing the island.
Bilateral cooperation has intensified throughout the year. Just six days before this ceremony, China delivered a second batch of 5,000 photovoltaic systems intended for isolated rural homes, healthcare centers, children's circles, and bank branches in the 169 municipalities of the country.
Ambassador Hua Xin has reiterated multiple times Beijing's support for Havana in the face of U.S. sanctions, and the Cuban regime has presented this cooperation as evidence of international solidarity with the island.
However, the magnitude of Chinese aid also reflects the depth of Cuba's structural crisis: decades of failed economic management have left the country unable to ensure a basic supply of food for its population on its own.
The first shipment of the donation of 60,000 tons was intended to benefit 9.6 million consumers across all provinces and on the Isle of Youth, according to the Ministry of Internal Commerce at that time, a figure that lacks independent verification.
In addition to a previous donation of 30,000 tons, China's total commitment to Cuba for rice has reached 90,000 tons so far in 2026, according to statements from Ambassador Hua Xin.
The fourth and final shipment that will complete the donation of 60,000 tons is scheduled to arrive in Cuba in September, according to MINCEX.
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