Xi Jinping Approves $80 Million Emergency Aid and 60,000 Tonnes of Rice for Cuba

China’s President Xi Jinping approved an emergency aid package for Cuba that includes 80 million dollars in financial assistance and a donation of 60,000 tonnes of rice, according to DW, citing official information released on Tuesday (20.01.2026).

“Cuba has announced the first shipment in an expected donation from China of about 60,000 tonnes of rice, as the Caribbean island contends with an ongoing humanitarian crisis”

Al Jazeera

DW says the decision was confirmed by China’s ambassador in Havana, Hua Xin, to Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel during a meeting at the Palacio de la Revolución.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reports that Cuba announced the first shipment in the expected donation, with Díaz-Canel confirming that the first load of 15,000 tonnes arrived at the port of Havana a day earlier.

Al Jazeera adds that Díaz-Canel expressed “deep gratitude” to China and also to members of the European Parliament who denounced the pressure campaign his government faces.

DW frames Cuba’s situation as a grave economic and energy crisis marked by shortages of basic products and frequent power outages tied to decades of exploitation in generation plants.

Al Jazeera says Díaz-Canel thanked China in social media posts, writing “Thank you very much for the solidarity, and for the firm and unequivocal condemnation of the collective punishment to which our people are being subjected,” while likening Cuba’s situation to “genocide”.

Al Jazeera also reports that Díaz-Canel wrote that Cuba would continue to strengthen its ties with China, adding “The cherished bonds of friendship and cooperation that unite us grow stronger in these crucial times,” as the United States increased sanctions against Cuba since January.

Diario Libre

Greater Belize Media says the shipment arrived at the port of Havana this week and quotes Chinese Ambassador Hua Xin describing it as “the largest single food aid package China has provided to Cuba in recent years.”

Greater Belize Media adds that Cuban Minister of Domestic Trade Betsy Díaz said authorities were working to distribute the rice as quickly as possible despite ongoing fuel constraints.

teleSUR English similarly describes the delivery as the first installment of a 60,000-ton emergency aid package and quotes Hua’s message on X that “Today we delivered 15,000 tons of rice, the first batch of the 60,000-ton emergency aid donation project to#Cuba”.

DW says Cuba’s economic contraction was 1,1 % in 2024 and that the country has suffered a cumulative 11 % drop over the last five years, attributing the downturn to factors including the tightening of U.S. sanctions and the impact of failed economic and monetary policies.

“El presidente de China, Xi Jinping, aprobó una ayuda emergente a Cuba que incluye asistencia financiera de 80 millones de dólares y un donativo de 60”

DW

Al Jazeera reports that the Trump administration has largely blocked the export of oil to Cuba since the start of the year, and that by the end of the month it issued an executive order identifying Cuba as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the US.

L’Humanité says China promised “support and assistance” to Cuba in response to Trump’s threats, quoting a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Guo Jiakun, saying “China expresses its deep concern and its opposition to the actions of the United States' toward Havana.”

L’Humanité also says Guo Jiakun urged Washington to “cease to compromise regional peace and stability” while calling for the “immediate lifting of the blockade and sanctions aimed at Cuba.”

In the same context of worsening humanitarian conditions, Al Jazeera notes that Cuba’s recent crisis has caused island-wide blackouts and brought public services including transportation and medical care to a standstill in many areas.