The Deputy Prime Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga presided over the ceremony for the reception of the third shipment of 15,000 tons of rice donated by the Chinese government this Thursday at the Haiphong terminal of the Port of Havana, on a day that the Cuban regime and Beijing deliberately framed within the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth.
"On such a special day as today #100YearsWithFidel, #China delivers to #Cuba the third shipment of 15,000 tons of rice, which is part of a total donation of 60,000 tons. The best tribute to the Commander in Chief is our solidarity," published the Chinese government on X.
The event was also attended by the Minister of Domestic Trade, Betsy Díaz Velázquez, and the Ambassador of China in Cuba, Hua Xin, who linked the delivery to 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 thousand tons of rice that Beijing committed to Havana at the beginning of 2026, distributed in four batches of 15 thousand tons each.
The first shipment arrived in Havana in the spring of this year; the second docked at the port of Santiago de Cuba at the end of June, and the third just arrived this Thursday in the capital.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment (MINCEX), "this donation reinforces the deep bonds of friendship and cooperation that unite China and Cuba, founded 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, in the context of the serious energy and food crisis 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, health centers, day care centers, and bank branches in the 169 municipalities across 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 basic food supplies for its population on its own.
The first shipment of the donation of 60 thousand tons was intended to benefit 9.6 million consumers across all provinces and on the Isle of Youth, according to official data that has not been independently verified.
In addition to a previous donation of 30,000 tons, China's total commitment to Cuba in rice has reached 90,000 tons so far in 2026, according to statements from the ambassador himself, Hua Xin.
The fourth and final shipment that will complete the donation of 60 thousand tons is set to arrive in Cuba in September, as reported by MINCEX.
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