China has criticised the United States (US) over its indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, urging Washington to stop using “coercion” and “threats” against Cuba.
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The reaction came after U.S. authorities charged the 94-year-old former president and five others over the 1996 shooting down of two aircraft operated by the Cuban-American dissident group, Brothers to the Rescue.
The incident killed four people, including three U.S. citizens.
At the time of the incident, Castro was serving as Cuba’s defence minister. The charges filed against him reportedly include conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, murder, and destruction of aircraft — offences that could attract life imprisonment or the death penalty under American law.
Responding to the development on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing strongly opposes what it described as Washington’s use of judicial and sanctions mechanisms to pressure Havana.
“The United States should cease using sanctions and judicial apparatus as tools of coercion against Cuba and refrain from making threats of force at every turn,” Guo said during a press briefing.
He added that China “firmly supports Cuba” in defending its sovereignty and national dignity.
The indictment marks a major escalation in tensions between Washington and Havana under the administration of Donald Trump, who has intensified sanctions and economic pressure on the communist island in recent months.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has dismissed the charges as politically motivated, describing them as “a political manoeuvre, devoid of any legal foundation.”
China, a longstanding ally of Cuba, has repeatedly condemned U.S. sanctions on the island and called for an end to the American blockade. Earlier this month, Beijing accused Washington of violating international norms through its sanctions policy against Havana.
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