China tells US to stop 'threats' against Cuba after former leader charged
China's foreign ministry called the US indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro and recent military activity near the island 'threatening behaviour' and urged Washington to halt it, signalling Beijing's open backing of Havana in the unfolding Caribbean stand-off.
China's foreign ministry called Washington's recent moves on Cuba 'unilateral bullying that goes beyond security logic' during a regular briefing in Beijing on Thursday. Spokesperson Lin Jian said the US Justice Department's murder indictment of former leader Raúl Castro and increased military flights off Florida 'must stop'.
The Justice Department announced charges last week, holding Castro responsible for the 1996 downing of two Brothers to the Rescue Cessnas in international airspace and the deaths of four US citizens. Havana has dismissed the case as a 'political show'. Beijing's intervention is the first senior-level Chinese statement on the unfolding Caribbean crisis.
China has rapidly deepened scientific and digital infrastructure ties with Cuba over the past three years and previously rejected Pentagon claims about a Chinese intelligence facility on the island. Analysts said the statement raises the diplomatic cost of Trump's broader push to curb Chinese influence in Latin America.
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