The first batch of rice under China's emergency food assistance program to Cuba Photo: Xinhua

The handover ceremony for the first batch of rice under China's emergency food assistance program to Cuba was held on Monday local time at a grain transit warehouse of Cuba's Ministry of Domestic Trade. Attending the event were Cuban Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga, Minister of Domestic Trade Betsy Díaz Velázquez, Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Déborah Rivas Saavedra, and Chinese Ambassador to Cuba Hua Xin, among others, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Perez-Oliva said at the ceremony that the donated supplies fully reflect China's valuable assistance to Cuba and the deep friendship between the two countries. In addition to food aid, the two sides have carried out extensive cooperation in areas such as energy, achieving rapid and effective progress. Under the current difficult circumstances, Cuba sincerely thanks the Chinese government for its support, which represents a concrete practice of building a China-Cuba community with a shared future, per Xinhua.

Ambassador Hua Xin said the assistance not only carries the profound special friendship between China and Cuba, but also demonstrates the firm conviction of the two sides to stand together through storms and challenges. 

He also expressed confidence that through joint efforts, no blockade can extinguish the light of hope, and no difficulty can stop the march forward. China is willing to continue strengthening cooperation with Cuba, overcome difficulties together, and inject greater momentum into building a China-Cuba community with a shared future.

The total volume of rice assistance under this program amounts to 30,000 tons. The first batch was delivered on Monday, the second batch has already arrived smoothly at the port of Santiago de Cuba, and subsequent batches are set to be shipped shortly, according to the Xinhua report. 

Global Times