State Department position on Cuba’s overseas medical missions is a tool of hegemony, China counters
/ Our Today
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The US State Department has come down hard on people connected to Cuba’s medical missions across the developing world, including the Caribbean.
It recently announced the visa restrictions on officials and their family members from African countries, Brazil, Cuba, Grenada, and former officials and their family members of the Pan American Health Organization involved in the Cuban Government’s overseas medical missions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the United States is committed to ending Cuba’s overseas medical missions as an exploitative behaviour of forced labour, warning countries cooperating with Cuba to “think twice.”
What is China’s comment on this?
Mao Ning, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, “We noted that according to statistics of the government of Cuba, during the past 60-plus years, Cuba sent over 600,000 medical personnel to over 60 countries, provided medical services for over 230 million people and performed over 17 million operations and surgeries, which saved the lives of more than 12 million people. Cuba’s overseas medical cooperation plays an important role in the health systems of Latin American and Caribbean countries as well as African countries, and is welcomed by the governments and peoples of the relevant countries.
“The so-called ‘forced labour’ has become a false pretext and tool of hegemony for the United States to suppress other countries. Relevant measures of the US [are] an extension and escalation of its over 60 years of unpopular sanctions and blockade on Cuba. Political figures and people from all walks of life in relevant regions have expressed their clear opposition or concern.
“China opposes coercive diplomacy and urges the US to immediately stop the blockade and sanctions on Cuba in any name and do more things that help improve relations with Cuba and promote regional peace and stability.”
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