15,600 tons of rice from China arrives in Cuba

Image via Vanguardia de Cuba on Facebook

Various Sources

15,600 tons of rice from the People’s Republic of China arrived in Cuba on Friday, March 27. The shipment is part of a broader aid package through which China plans to deliver a total of 90,000 tons of rice in two rounds, reflecting both humanitarian intent and deepening ties between Havana and Beijing.

The 15,600‑ton batch, transported aboard the vessel Loyalty Hong, fulfills a major portion of China’s pledged assistance. It forms part of an initial 30,000‑ton donation, with an additional 60,000 tons approved by President Xi Jinping to follow.

This aid arrives at a moment when rice—central to the Cuban diet—has become scarce or prohibitively expensive, the island faces chronic shortages of food, medicine, and fuel and inflation and prolonged power outages continue to strain daily life all due to the cruel and illegal US economic blockade, tightened under the Trump Administration.

China has said its support is an act of solidarity and a response to what it calls the “total blockade” and “illegal unilateral sanctions” imposed by the United States. Chinese officials have demanded that Washington lift these measures immediately.