"The visit of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, to Vietnam, China, and Laos involves a combination of very important events, coinciding with events of great historical significance that give it special symbolism."
This was emphasized by diplomat Carlos Miguel Pereira Hernández, Director General of Bilateral Affairs at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, who has extensive experience working in Asia, especially in China, during a meeting with the press group of the Presidency of the Republic to discuss the significance of the Head of State's visits to these brotherly socialist countries.
"In the case of Vietnam," he explains, "September 2nd marks the 80th anniversary of Victory, Independence, and the end of colonial rule. And a day later, on September 3rd, the 80th anniversary of the Chinese people's resistance and victory against Japanese aggression is commemorated, which in a way marked the end of the global anti-fascist war.
"To celebrate these events, each country will hold solemn ceremonies, military parades, and other activities in which Cuba will be present, with a delegation headed by our President.
"Comrade Díaz-Canel's visits also coincide with the 65th anniversary of the establishment of relations with both countries.
On September 28th, 1960, Cuba was the first nation in the hemisphere to recognize the People's Republic of China, and on December 12th of that year, it was also the first country in the Americas to formalize ties with Vietnam, initially with the liberated territories in South Vietnam and later with the opening of an embassy in Hanoi.
"Therefore, within the framework of these visits, there will be opportunities to celebrate and commemorate these bilateral anniversaries, which in some way reflect the evolution of the historic and close relations with these two countries.
"With Laos, our relations celebrated their 50th anniversary last year, but since the late 1960s and early 1970s, there has been a significant Cuban presence, exchange, and support in the process of liberating the Lao people; therefore, it is a series of celebrations for Cuba with these three brothers.
"The visit also serves the purpose of developing bilateral programs. There will be an opportunity for the First Secretary and President to meet with the leaders of these nations.
"In Vietnam, there will be meetings with the highest authorities of the Party, the State, the Government, and the National Assembly, most notably with Comrade To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party (PCV). In China, he will hold meetings with the General Secretary of the Communist Party (CPCH) and President, Comrade Xi Jinping, and with other leaders. And in Laos, he will talk with the Secretary General of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), Comrade Thongloun Sisoulith, and other authorities.
"Díaz-Canel's visits will be an opportunity to review our extensive bilateral agenda. There is practically no sector in which there has not been significant development in cooperation in recent years, either in the case of China or in the case of Vietnam. And, of course, Vietnam, China, and Laos are countries with which we are united and with which we share very important political interests, including the common ideal of building socialism based on the characteristics and conditions of each country.
"The visit will also provide a framework for signing relevant agreements in different areas, which will be announced in due course."
— There is talk of renewed momentum in relations between Vietnam and Cuba following systematic high-level exchanges and the consensus reached between comrades Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez and To Lam, who visited us in September 2024.
— Relations with Vietnam have been intense since they were first established. Cuba was one of the first countries to open an embassy in Hanoi, and one of the first countries to establish a solidarity committee with the Vietnamese people, but also with the people of Laos, Cambodia, and the entire Indochina region. In 1973, Fidel, in his capacity as prime minister, was the first foreign leader to visit the liberated territories of South Vietnam, and he later returned in 1995 and 2005. Army General Raúl Castro Ruz has been to Vietnam on several occasions, the first time in 1966.
"On the other hand, virtually all of Vietnam's successive top leaders have visited Cuba at some point.
"In 2018, Comrade Díaz-Canel was in Vietnam, and in 2024 we welcomed Comrade To Lam in his dual capacity at that time as General Secretary of the CPV and President, which in a way summed up a whole stage of expanding contacts and cooperation.
"In recent years, Vietnam has established itself as an important reference point in many areas of cooperation. Its contribution has been essential to Cuban food security through various programs, including those related to rice, but this collaboration has been extended to other areas, such as the production of basic necessities, construction materials, and new energies, to which, since To Lam's visit, new businesses in the area of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals have been added.
"His visit in September 2024 marked a new impetus in the bilateral agenda, in political dialogue at the highest level. He was also received by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, which speaks volumes about the close friendship and relationship that unites us.
"Today, we cannot talk about the progress made by Cuba in certain areas without mentioning the contribution of Vietnam, which in recent years has consolidated its position as the main Asian investor in the Cuban economy and has several projects in the Mariel Special Development Zone, to which new projects by Cuban companies on the Vietnamese side are added.
"Cuba and Vietnam are countries that have shown great solidarity and mutual support in difficult situations. We remember Cuba's support in those early years of the Vietnamese process, just as today we receive Vietnamese aid and solidarity at a time when the Cuban Revolution faces significant challenges due to the intensification of the blockade and economic suffocation.
"To Lam's visit in September 2024 marks a turning point, and we intend to follow up with a visit from our First Secretary. Agreements will also be signed to continue current cooperation and encourage greater participation and involvement by Vietnamese companies in the opportunities offered by the Cuban economy.
"Today, there is greater synergy and greater willingness between our two countries, which has to do with the seed sown by Fidel and Ho Chi Minh and nurtured over time, and which continues not only in the support and personal involvement of the Army General, but also in the new generations of leaders headed by Comrade Díaz Canel."
—Relations between Cuba and China were established at a particularly challenging time for both countries.
—They emerged at a truly challenging time for both countries. I often say that Fidel's hand was there. Fidel's angel and imprint. That Fidel who has accustomed us to traveling to the future and returning to tell us about it.
"Let us remember that the decision to establish relations with China was announced in the context of the First Declaration of Havana, on September 2, 1960, before a million Cubans. That act set a precedent in international relations. Never before had a process of recognition of a country been so popular, a form of popular consultation, and never before had it been so closely linked to the country's own history.
"Not only were bilateral relations established, but this act marked Cuba's unwavering commitment to the One China policy and also ushered in a new era of relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean.
"Over time, Cuba has accumulated many firsts in its relationship with China. It was the first country with which China signed a trade agreement; the first country to receive the first groups of Chinese students who went abroad to learn Spanish; the first country to be designated a priority tourist destination by the Chinese authorities; and one of the first countries to establish a direct air link with China. Army General Raúl Castro Ruz was the first foreign leader to be honored with the Medal of Friendship awarded by the Chinese people.
"And to conclude this list of firsts, it must be said that Cuba was the first country with which China publicly announced its willingness or interest in establishing, in jointly building, the Community of Shared Destiny at the bilateral level, which over time has become a central axis, not only of relations between Cuba and China, but also of China's relations with the rest of the world.
"Our relations arose with history, embody history, and also embody an earlier moment, the arrival of the first Chinese immigrants in Cuba. Cuba was the only country where Chinese immigrants became involved in the wars of independence and national liberation of a country.
"It is no coincidence that Cuba is the only country today that has a monument dedicated to the Chinese who participated in the wars of independence, and that has a plaque with the phrase immortalized by Gonzalo de Quezada that says: 'There was never a Cuban Chinese traitor, there was never a Cuban Chinese deserter.' History is part of the bilateral heritage and has created the basis for our relations to face the most diverse challenges.
"In this journey, we must also mention that the exchange of high-level visits has set important precedents over the years. First, there were Che's two visits to China, which paved the way. I always remember the anecdote that Che told Fidel about his meeting with Prime Minister Zhou Enlai, when he spoke to him about selfless cooperation, and Zhou Enali said, "No, no, no, our cooperation with Cuba is not selfless, it is interested in Cuba moving forward."
We must also remember the 1993 visit of Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who was the only foreign head of state who dared to visit Cuba at a time when many believed that the Revolution would not be able to overcome those difficult times. Or Fidel's two visits, in 1995 and 2003. Or the successive visits by Comrade Raúl as First Vice President of the Council of State and Ministers and later as President.
"Since Jiang Zemin, all of China's top leaders have visited Cuba, some more than once. The current General Secretary and President, Xi Jinping, also did so in 2014, and we hope he will repeat this in a future visit to the region.
"Added to this is the visit of Comrade Díaz-Canel in 2018 and that of November 2022, still under pandemic conditions, which undoubtedly marked a new stage in bilateral relations. To all this is added an ever-increasing evolution of dialogue and political trust that has paved the way for expanding collaboration and consolidating economic cooperation in various spheres.
"Over more than two decades, China has established itself as Cuba's second largest trading partner, especially in terms of goods, and an important destination for Cuban exports. It has become a key supplier of technologies in the energy transition and digital transition of our country, and we have achieved great interaction in sectors such as biotechnology.
"And in recent years, especially amid the complex situation we are currently experiencing, China has played a central role through government donations, with several comprehensive aid packages in the areas of food production, renewable energy, and key supplies for different sectors. Today, we aspire to see an increasing presence of Chinese companies in Cuba and to be able to carry out important projects linked to the Economic and Social Development Plan until 2030.
In this context, the visit of the First Secretary and President will be an important moment to review bilateral cooperation and its future prospects, including the signing of agreements, some of which will have a significant impact on bilateral economic relations and will be very beneficial.
"With China, as with Vietnam, we share the ideal of building socialism; there is a fluid exchange of experiences based on theoretical seminars at the Party level, but also on related experiences that serve as a reference for the updating of the Cuban economic model.
"For all these reasons, we believe that this is a good time for the First Secretary and President to return to China and update the agreements reached with the top leadership of our sister country regarding the development of bilateral relations."
"It will also be a visit that will give continuity to other meetings between Díaz-Canel and Xi Jinping at recent international events, such as those held in Johannesburg during the BRICS summit in South Africa, or in Moscow a few months ago.
"These have been moments in which they have been able to exchange views and maintain a level of updating and dialogue on the different issues that mark the bilateral, international, and regional agenda."
—How would you describe the evolution of relations between Cuba and the Lao People's Democratic Republic?
—We must always remember Fidel's words, constantly expressing solidarity and recognition of the Lao people, who were subjected to systematic bombing by the US in those years.
"The battles that the Lao people had to fight were bloody, and Cuban solidarity was present early on, when a group of our doctors, in the caves of Viengsay, in the midst of the struggle for the liberation of the Lao people, were providing their services and support to the population.
"And since the establishment of relations in 1974, an increasingly strong bond has been developing, in which the exchange of high-level delegations has played a fundamental role.
"We must remember the visit in September 1976 of the Laotian leader, Kaysone Phomvihane, who was received by Fidel and awarded the José Martí Order for his revolutionary career and contribution to socialism.
"Throughout our relations, the main leaders of the State and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, prime ministers, and presidents of the National Assembly have visited us. We recall the visit in September 2023 of Comrade Thongloun Sisoulith, Secretary General of the LPRP and President.
"And from Cuba to Laos, there has also been a significant exchange of visits. We must remember that of the Army General, as First Vice President, in 1997. And that of President Díaz-Canel in 2018. Our Vice President, Salvador Valdés Mesa, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, and National Assembly President Esteban Lazo Hernández, who last year headed the Cuban delegation that presided over the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations, have also been there.
"Over time, relations between Cuba and Laos have not only been consolidated and strengthened, but have also been enriched, even beyond political dialogue and political exchanges. Today, cooperation covers a wide range of areas, including health, education, and biotechnology. In the agri-food sector, this even includes the use in Cuba of seeds developed in Laos, which are having a very important effect on efforts to achieve food security.
"Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the first visit to Cuba by the historic leader and founder of Laos, Kaysone Phomvihane, which undoubtedly opens an important path for celebrating these years, these decades of exchange. And the new visit by Comrade Díaz-Canel will give continuity to that intense bilateral agenda and allow us to review the common agenda at the highest level and project the new moments in our relationship."
—How would you summarize the agenda that Díaz-Canel will carry out in these three beloved countries?
—It will be an intense agenda, with many activities. No two visits are ever alike. I always insist on this, because each visit, at each moment, at each juncture, gives it a special character, a special result.
"These working days of the First Secretary and President are associated with important commemorations of a historical nature, but this in no way detracts from the fact that progress can also be made on a bilateral agenda, including economic, commercial, and cooperation issues, which is really what has been shaping bilateral relations in recent years.
"As you point out, these are three beloved countries, three countries with which we share values, interests, and objectives, and that always gives these visits a much more special, more symbolic character.
"These visits are connected in some way to previous ones and lead to others, ensuring continuity in bilateral relations. They will undoubtedly be a good opportunity to reaffirm the historic and friendly ties that define Cuba's relations with Vietnam, China, and Laos."
