High-ranking Communist Party officials meet in China
A delegation of the Cuban Communist Party led by Salvador Valdés Mesa, a member of the Political Bureau of the Cuban Communist Party, met today (May 26) in Beijing with Liu Yunshan, one of the seven members of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, Xinhua reported.
[Xinhua’s report published a photo of Valdés Mesa (above) but identified him erroneously as Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, another Cuban official. The mistake was repeated by other news agencies that picked up the news.]
“China and Cuba share a fraternal friendship, tested by difficult times and based on faith and trust,” Liu said, according to Xinhua.
“The Chinese side firmly supports the ruling party and government of Cuba,” Liu was quoted as saying, and “China is ready to work with Cuba to fully implement the consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Cuban President Raul Castro during Xi’s visit to Cuba last year.”
Liu said that the two sides should reinforce and expand traditional friendship and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas.
Liu expressed readiness to strengthen exchanges between the two political parties. He called for the two sides to carry out more extensive exchange of experience on governance so as to add impetus to China-Cuba friendship.
Valdés, who is also vice president of Cuba’s Council of State, said the two countries enjoy a comprehensive strategic partnership. He said that close contact between party officials and an exchange of experiences had helped to lay a solid foundation for relations between the two countries.
A press release from the Cuban Embassy in Beijing stated that “the fraternal exchange revealed the excellent state of bilateral relations with deep historical roots” and a mutual willingness to continue developing them. The parties agreed on the main political aspects and the importance of continuing the exchange of experiences on the process of socialist construction, starting from the specific realities of each country, the Embassy note said.
No more information was given about the talks, other than they were held “held in the context of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.” The names of the other Cuban representatives were not given.
According to the daily Granma, before the Valdés-Liu meeting, the delegation toured Biotech-Pharma, a Cuban-Chinese joint venture. Later, the group met with Wang Jiarui, chief of the International Department of Chinese Communist Party and vice president of the Political Consultative Conference of the Chinese People.
Founded in August 2000, Biotech Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. is a high-tech joint enterprise situated in Beijing’s Economic Technological Development Area. It is engaged in research and development, manufacturing, marketing and sales of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.
[Photo at top of Salvador Valdés Mesa and Liu Yunshan meeting in Beijing on May 26.]
