(Pix Credit:La Cuba de Fidel y la China de Mao: dos comunismos enfrentados)
It is invariably the small and sometimes apparently insignificant side notes of history that reveal much about the emerging shape of things. Those who study only the "great people, the glorious incidents, and the grans gestures orchestrated by powerful individuals and institutions miss much by focusing only on what at times is a theatre of the absurd for an audience with an endless appetite for absurdity.
And so it is that one might be forgiven for overlooking an announcement buried in the website dedicated to Xi Jinping's speeches and statements. 习近平同古巴共产党中央委员会第一书记劳尔·卡斯特罗、古巴国家主席迪亚斯－卡内尔就中古建交60周年互致贺电 李克强同古巴总理马雷罗互致贺电 [Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with Raul Castro, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, and Cuban President Diaz-Canel on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cuba. Li Keqiang and Cuban Prime Minister Marrero exchanged congratulatory messages]. That this comes only days after the Trump administration announced further tightening on the Cuban embargo ought to go less unnoticed. That it suggests a renewed interest in Cuba on the eve of Chinese fears of an American recognition or further military ties with Taiwan ought to set off the trip wires of those agencies in the United States about which I know nothing.
On its face this is the sort of announcement and exchange of diplomatic pleasantries that ought to be forgotten even before they are delivered. But context matters. And it is worth examining these "greetings" if only a little. Its pleasantries mask a long period of mutual suspicion and distrust, one profound enough to cause the sort of worry about Fidel Castro's blogging that Americans now have with President Trump's tweeting. (see Fidel Castro on Deng Xiaoping and Erich Honecker--Understanding the Foundations of Cuban Political and Economic Policy).
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Reflections by Comrade Fidel: "DENG XIAOPING" : HE thought of himself as a wise man and, doubtless, he was. But he made a small mistake. "Cuba has to be punished," he said one day. Our country never even pronounced his name. It was a totally unwarranted offense. Fidel Castro Ruz June 14, 2012 1:40 p.m. (Original Spanish Version): Presumía de hombre sabio y, sin duda, lo era. Pero incurrió en un pequeño error. "Hay que castigar a Cuba", dijo un día. Nuestro país nunca pronunció siquiera su nombre. Fue una ofensa absolutamente gratuita.
The text of the pleasant exchanges are set out below in the original Chinese as well as a crude English translation along with brief reflections.
PostScript: What is lurking in the background--U.S., Taiwan to team up on infrastructure in pushback against China ("The de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei said the new plan would support
“quality infrastructure in emerging markets”, while Taiwan Foreign
Minister Joseph Wu said it dovetailed the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy
with Taiwan’s own New Southbound Policy.)"
1. There is very little to celebrate in this relationship beyond the passage of time. Sixty years is a long time when measured against the longevity of even very powerful Marxist Leninist states. And it is no doubt very much on core leadership minds that anniversaries are like fetish objects and may carry (exploitable) political significance. Cultures count, and they have a mania for measuring achievement as a function of time. Anniversaries are times for ritual self-reflection. Even the most superficial rituals of recognition, like those reflected in the reported messages between the leadership cores of both states, acknowledge the power of time as the measure of all things. But seventy years is an even more important anniversary--and one that crucially important for China when it measures itself against both the Soviet Union (and European Marxist Leninism), and as a function of its achievements in the areas it cares about most (socialist modernization and the building of a Socialist moral order).
2. It is well known that Cuban Marxists are torn about China. That is reflected in Fidel Castro's refections about Deng Xiaoping quoted above. Raúl Castro and the military have profited much from a close association with their colleagues in the People's Liberation Army. But the respective nomenclatures of these states have not shared the same vision from the time of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. One can get a whiff of this in the subtle differences of the greetings sent by Raúl Castro (military--"has always maintained sincere friendship ") and Diaz Canel (nomenklatura)--"close friendship between Cuba and China has been tested over the years").
3. Necessity, however, rules over the land of the lotus eaters(λωτοφάγοι--Homer, Odyssey, Book IX). COVID and the imperatives of Chinese decoupling from the United States has permitted a measure of (sometimes wary) strategic relationships between these two Leninist cousins. That, more than anything, is what emerges from the pleasantries. But it is important. COVID has made it possible for the Chinese to concieve of adding the Caribbean and its crown jewel to its Belt and Road Initiative in a meaningful way. That ought to be understood as a provocation by the United States. Or a warning as the United States seeks to detach Vietnam (and eventually Cambodia. . .if they have the funds) from China's orbit. This has not escaped the notice of even the popular press in the West (Boris Johnson FIRES BACK at ‘expansionist’ China as Beijing 'sparks' Queen Barbados split). There is much more here, then, than meets the eye. China has been good for Cuba at leats with respect to its pharma sector, about the only aspect of its 2030 economic plan that might be salvaged from the COVID 19 disaster. China sees in Cuba an irritation and a means of projecting power quite close to the American heartland at fairly little cost--from the Chinese perspective (unlike the Soviets who were far more profligate spenders on Cuba for their own reasons), the Chinese continue to keep Cuba on a tight aid leash to the frustration of Cuban officials. It ought to be enough to annoy the Americans, and the screws are tightening. But to what effect either way remains to be seen.
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习近平同古巴共产党中央委员会第一书记劳尔·卡斯特罗、古巴国家主席迪亚斯－卡内尔就中古建交60周年互致贺电 李克强同古巴总理马雷罗互致贺电
来源：新华网 发布时间：2020-09-28
新华社北京9月28日电 9月28日，中共中央总书记、国家主席习近平分别同古巴共产党中央委员会第一书记劳尔·卡斯特罗、古巴国家主席迪亚斯－卡内尔互致贺电，热烈庆祝两国建交60周年。
习近平在致劳尔·卡斯特罗的贺电中指出，古巴是首个同新中国建交的拉美国家。建交60年来，中古关系经受住了国际风云变幻的考验，历久弥坚。中古政治互信不断深化，务实合作成果丰硕。两国同舟共济、守望相助，携手抗击新冠肺炎疫情，两国传统友谊得到升华。我非常珍视中古特殊友好关系，愿同你保持密切沟通，以两国建交60周年为契机，推动中古做永远的好朋友、好同志、好兄弟。
习近平在致迪亚斯－卡内尔的贺电中指出，建交60年来，中古相互理解、相互信任、相互支持，结下深厚友谊。近年来，中古友好合作全面深入发展，积极共建“一带一路”，为两国人民带来实实在在的利益。中古在抗击新冠肺炎疫情斗争中同舟共济、守望相助，谱写了两国人民友谊新篇章。我高度重视中古关系发展，愿同你一道努力，不断深化政治互信，拓展各领域务实合作，更好造福两国和两国人民。
劳尔·卡斯特罗在贺电中表示，古巴是首个同新中国建交的拉美国家，并始终与兄弟的中国、中国共产党、中国人民保持真挚的友谊。古方感谢中方的坚定支持，并深信历经六十载的古中友谊必将世代相传、万古长青。
迪亚斯－卡内尔在贺电中表示，古中亲密友谊历经岁月考验，双方一直把对方在社会主义建设上取得的成就视作自己的成就。面对新冠肺炎疫情，古中两国均致力于团结协作、集中资源拯救生命，并采取科学防控举措，开展国际合作。我们愿不断巩固古中传统友谊，拓展各领域合作。
同日，国务院总理李克强同古巴总理马雷罗也互致贺电。李克强在贺电中说，建交60年来，两国关系快速发展，各领域合作不断推进，不仅造福两国和两国人民，而且对中拉关系发展产生积极影响。中古在抗击新冠肺炎疫情斗争中患难与共、守望相助，两国传统友谊进一步深化。中方高度重视发展中古关系，愿同古方一道，继续发扬两国友好传统，巩固政治互信，不断丰富两国互利合作内涵和成果，携手共建“一带一路”，继续推进抗疫合作，推动新时期的中古关系行稳致远，不断迈上新台阶。马雷罗代表古巴政府和人民向中方致以最热烈的祝贺并表示，古方愿继续深化两国经贸合作，并将其提升至更高水平。
Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with Raul Castro, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, and Cuban President Diaz-Canel on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cuba. Li Keqiang and Cuban Prime Minister Marrero exchanged congratulatory messages
Source: Xinhua Net Release Time: 2020-09-28
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 28. On September 28, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President Xi Jinping exchanged views with Raul Castro, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, and Cuban President Diaz-Canel. Congratulations, warmly celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In his congratulatory message to Raul Castro, Xi Jinping pointed out that Cuba is the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with New China. In the 60 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China-Cuba relations have withstood the test of the changing international situation and have become stronger over time. China and Cuba continue to deepen political mutual trust, and pragmatic cooperation has yielded fruitful results. The two countries are in the same boat and help each other to fight the new COVID-19 epidemic, and the traditional friendship between the two countries has been sublimated. I cherish the special friendly relations between China and Cuba very much, and I am willing to maintain close communication with you, and take the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries as an opportunity to promote China and Cuba to be good friends, good comrades and good brothers forever.
In his congratulatory message to Dias-Canel, Xi Jinping pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic relations 60 years ago, China and Cuba have understood, trusted and supported each other and forged a profound friendship. In recent years, the friendly cooperation between China and Cuba has developed in an all-round and in-depth manner, actively building the “Belt and Road” initiative and bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples. China and Cuba have stood together and helped each other in the fight against the new COVID-19 epidemic, writing a new chapter in the friendship between the two peoples. I attach great importance to the development of China-Cuba relations, and I am willing to work with you to continuously deepen political mutual trust, expand practical cooperation in various fields, and better benefit the two countries and the two peoples.
Raúl Castro stated in the message that Cuba is the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and has always maintained sincere friendship with its brotherly China, the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people. The Cuban side thanks China for its firm support and is convinced that the 60-year-old friendship between Cuba and China will be passed on from generation to generation and will last forever.
Diaz-Canel stated in the message that the close friendship between Cuba and China has been tested over the years, and both sides have always regarded each other's achievements in socialist construction as their own. In the face of the COVID-19 epidemic, both Cuba and China are committed to unity and cooperation, pool resources to save lives, and adopt scientific prevention and control measures to carry out international cooperation. We are willing to continue to consolidate the traditional friendship between Cuba and China and expand cooperation in various fields.
On the same day, Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council and Cuban Prime Minister Marrero also exchanged congratulatory messages. Li Keqiang said in the congratulatory message that since the establishment of diplomatic relations 60 years ago, the relations between the two countries have developed rapidly and cooperation in various fields has continued to advance, which not only benefits the two countries and their peoples, but also has a positive impact on the development of China-Latin America relations. China and Cuba share weal and woe and help each other in the fight against the new crown pneumonia epidemic, and the traditional friendship between the two countries has further deepened. China attaches great importance to the development of China-Cuba relations, and is willing to work with Cuba to continue to carry forward the tradition of friendship between the two countries, consolidate political mutual trust, continuously enrich the connotation and results of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, join hands to build the "Belt and Road", continue to advance anti-epidemic cooperation, and promote a new era The Sino-Cuban relations in China have been steadily and far-reaching, and have been continuously reaching new levels. On behalf of the Cuban government and people, Marrero extended his warmest congratulations to China and said that Cuba is willing to continue to deepen bilateral economic and trade cooperation and raise it to a higher level.
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