Beijing.–"We are eternally grateful to the Chinese people, the Communist Party of China, and the Chinese government leadership for the support they have always given to Cuba," said First Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez at the ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, held on Thursday afternoon in this capital.
The commemoration, held at the headquarters of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (Aapche), was also led by Comrade Han Zheng, Vice President of the People's Republic of China, and Yang Wanming, President of Aapche.
For his contribution to the ties between the Cuban and Chinese peoples, Yang was awarded the Medal of Friendship by presidential decree, at the proposal of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), an honor he received from the hands of the Cuban president himself.
In his speech celebrating the 65th anniversary of the formalization of bilateral relations, the Vice President of the People's Republic of China, Han Zheng, reviewed the historical ties between the two countries and the mutual support they have given each other over the years.
He welcomed Díaz-Canel's participation in the main ceremony and military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, held on September 3 in Tiananmen Square.
He highlighted Thursday morning's meeting between the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and president, Xi Jinping, and his Cuban counterpart, as proof, he said, of the "iron friendship" that the two countries have forged.
It was an exchange that allowed, he said, for new consensus to be reached to continue consolidating the close relationship between the Chinese and Cuban parties, governments, and peoples.
In his speech before the authorities and other friends of Cuba and Cuban personnel working in the Asian giant, Díaz-Canel shared his thoughts on China's national celebrations these days and the happy coincidence with the bilateral commemorations.
He recalled that the ties between 1960 and today "were conceived, developed, and forged by the relationship between the leaders of the Cuban Revolution and the leaders of the Chinese Revolution, especially Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz and Chairman Mao Zedong, relationships that have been continued by the new generations of Chinese and Cuban leaders.
Ours, he added, "are relations that have overcome the challenges imposed by different historical moments."
"It must be said," emphasized the Cuban leader, "that in all these years we have been able to develop a range of mutually beneficial projects, we have had extensive exchanges on global issues, we agree on the core aspects of our relations, and this has led us to increasingly strengthen this close relationship."
After recounting the cultural and blood ties that unite both peoples, dating back to the 19th century, he pointed out that today mutual relations have additional significance.
"They are experiencing a particularly important moment of consolidation," he said, due to the strong inter-party relations and the monitoring and implementation of the consensus that we have been building with President Xi in recent years.
He explained that they have moved toward "renewed concepts of how cooperation between China and Cuba should be in the fundamental areas that involve the economic and social development of our country.
"We have found," he added, "models of cooperation of common interest, which guarantee mutual benefit and allow for integration among those participating in these projects."
"In fact," he commented, "today, to Cuba's pride, we have Chinese businesses and Chinese institutions present in the main areas necessary for the economic and social development and prosperity that the Cuban people deserve after having endured 65 years of a brutal and genocidal economic, commercial, and financial blockade."
At the ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cuba, held on Thursday afternoon in Beijing, a commemorative envelope was unveiled and a photographic exhibition was inaugurated featuring milestones in the historical ties between the two peoples.
The event was attended by young and veteran members of Chinese friendship groups with the Greater Antilles, and Cuban personnel working in the Asian brother country.
The artistic part of the celebration was led by the Dayu Secondary School choir, which performed typical Cuban songs, and the Chinese and Cuban children's dance group, which performed a choreography inspired by the song Me dicen Cuba.
