Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang  Photo: Foreign Ministry website

China on Wednesday urged the US to end its blockade of Cuba, as the US is pressuring Latin American countries to oppose the UN draft resolution against the blockade.

"China urges the US to completely abolish its blockade of Cuba as soon as possible," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing in Beijing on Wednesday. 

"We hope the US will follow the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and the basic norms of international relations for normal relations with Cuba." 

The UN General Assembly will vote on the draft resolution calling later this week for an end to the US blockade of Cuba, which has been supported by the vast majority of the international community for 27 years.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Monday denounced US authorities who use pressure and blackmail to erode the voting pattern in support of the draft resolution, Sputnik reported.

Restoring normal relations between Cuba and the US will be "in the common interests of the two countries, and is also conducive to peace and stability throughout the Americas," Geng said. 

Former US president Barack Obama relaxed US policy toward Cuba, but Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the island country when he assumed the presidency in 2016.