China Urges US to Cease Blockade on Cuba
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - China opposes the abuse of coercive diplomacy, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, urging the US to immediately cease its blockade against Cuba and remove Cuba from its unilateral list of "state sponsors of terrorism".
Mao made the remarks on Wednesday when asked about the US’ new visa restrictions against Cuba. Recently, the US announced an expansion of visa restrictions against Cuba, alleging that Cuba's overseas medical services were suspected of "forced labor."
Foreign ministers of the Caribbean community member states have recently raised concerns about US’ policies, and multiple Caribbean countries' leaders have also criticized these measures, Xinhua reported.
Mao said that according to Cuba's medical authorities, over the past six decades, Cuba had overcome its own difficulties to dispatch more than 600,000 medical professionals to over 60 countries worldwide, and they had provided medical services to over 230 million people, performed more than 17 million surgeries, and saved over 12 million lives. Cuba's overseas medical cooperation has been widely welcomed by the Caribbean governments and people, she added.
Mao said allegations of "forced labor" had become an excuse and a tool for the US to suppress dissenting voices, adding that the new restriction on Cuba represented a continuation and intensification of the six-decade-long blockade and sanctions against Cuba by the US.
She said China urges the US to take concrete actions to improve US-Cuba relations, and genuinely contribute to the Caribbean nations' development.
