During a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Ding Xuexiang, the Cuban leader said that new global governance must make it possible to reduce the existing gap between the North and the South and provide differentiated treatment to developing nations.

“The developed countries’ promise to contribute 0.7 percent of their GDP has been unfulfilled for more than four decades,” he recalled.

Tapia also stressed that the millions of dollars that these nations invest in the arms race show that there are sufficient resources to promote international cooperation.

“For Cuba, compliance with the United Nations 2030 Agenda is a State commitment and a national priority,” he added.

The official assured that even in the complex inflationary scenario that characterizes the country, Cuba is one of the Latin American nations that invests the most in social assistance and security.

“However, the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against our country is the main obstacle to our development and, therefore, to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda,” he warned.

According to the leader, the limitations resulting from Washington’s blockade and Cuba’s inclusion on the arbitrary State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) list “impact the national financial panorama, which is facing unstable, undiversified and unsustainable access to sources for finance development.”

Tapia praised China’s efforts to promote an agenda in line with the legitimate interests of the countries of the Global South.

He added that the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development, in which he is participating, deserves all the recognition “for contributing to the purpose of placing development as the main priority on the international agenda.”

“As President Miguel Díaz-Canel noted in his video message to this forum, the Global Development Initiative (GDI) proposed by President Xi Jinping presents a very timely framework for the promotion of new spaces for cooperation in economic, social and environment,” he emphasized.

The Cuban leader underscored China’s global prestige and the importance of an initiative like this that makes resources available to developing countries to carry out projects with high social impact.

Tapia took advantage of the meeting to reiterate the gratitude of the Cuban people and Government for China’s recent donation, “which shows its sincere support at difficult times and the special nature of bilateral relations.”

“Cuba is most willing to put its best practices and experiences at the service of the countries of the South through the GDI,” he concluded.

This year’s edition of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development brings together high-level representatives from more than 50 nations and international organizations.

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