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Published November 23, 2004 in the Washington
Times
HAVANA - Chinese President Hu Jintao headed to Havana yesterday
for talks with his Cuban counterpart, Fidel Castro, that were
expected to bring sorely needed investments to the financially
strapped island.
The visit was to wrap up Mr. Hu's first tour of Latin
America, which also took him to Brazil and Argentina and to the
summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders in
Santiago, Chile.
Both sides hailed the importance of his 24-hour visit to
Havana, as reformist China enjoys a booming economy while Cuba,
the only communist state in the Western Hemisphere, remains in
dire economic shape.
Mr. Castro has made clear that he expects the visit to bring
significant investments in the Caribbean island nation, whose
economy has declined steadily since the collapse of the Soviet
Union.
China's ambassador to Cuba, Li Lianfu, said the presidential
talks will be "of the utmost importance as both leaders will
review bilateral relations to further deepen them."
Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Jose Guerra Menchero insisted
the two countries are on the same political wavelength. "Our
political ties are excellent. We have no differences
whatsoever," he said during the weekend.
But the encounter is likely to be somewhat tense because Mr.
Castro has rejected the path of reform that China's leaders have
followed for the past 25 years. But despite the differences on
economic policies, the two sides are expected to sign crucial
investment deals.
On the sidelines of the presidential summit, representatives
of 37 Chinese and about 60 Cuban companies met yesterday to
explore bilateral trade opportunities.
"China today is an important partner for Cuba and represents
almost 10 percent of our island's foreign trade," Cuban
Government Minister Ricardo Cabrisas said in his opening address
at the first Sino-Cuban investment and trade forum, held at a
Havana hotel.
He said bilateral trade reached $600 million between January
and October, and that there is great potential for investments
in the biotechnology, tourism, telecommunications and
electronics sectors.
Mr. Castro said last week that agreements signed during Mr.
Hu's visit should, among other things, allow Cuba to double
nickel production, which is at 75,000 tons a year. He said Cuba
would retain 51 percent ownership of companies created with
Chinese capital.
Mr. Castro, 78, maintains the iron grip he has held over
Cuba for the past 45 years, despite a recent fall in which he
broke his left knee and which confined him to a wheelchair.
Mr. Hu, China's president since March 2003, appeared
comfortably in command at the APEC summit, months after his
predecessor, Jiang Zemin, resigned from his last official
position, as commander in chief.
Mr. Hu's trip to Havana is the third by a Chinese president,
after 1993 and 2001 visits by Mr. Jiang.
Mr. Hu is expected to reiterate Beijing's rejection of the
U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, which President Bush further
tightened in June.
But Mr. Hu and Mr. Castro's discussions on the development
of socialism are likely to remain private, as has been the case
in past discussions between leaders of the two countries.
Agence France-Presse
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