"The sanctions should be lifted immediately, not intensified," said Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Tuesday in response to a question related to the measures recently adopted by the US government against Cuban leaders and their families.
The spokesperson stressed that China "firmly opposes the indiscriminate imposition of unilateral sanctions" by the US, as well as interference in Cuba's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights.
Lin underscored the damage caused to the Cuban people by the blockade and sanctions imposed by the US for more than 60 years.
He also expressed the Asian giant's support for the island in "pursuing a path of development that suits its national conditions," as well as in safeguarding its sovereignty and dignity.
In his statements, he reiterated the call for the immediate lifting of the blockade against Cuba and for the nation to be removed from the list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism.
"If the US really cared about human rights, it should reflect on its own human rights abuses in Guantanamo and around the world over the years," the spokesman emphasized.
Last Friday, the US State Department announced the adoption of sanctions against Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez and Army Corps Generals Álvaro López Miera and Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, ministers of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Interior, respectively.
The unilateral measures were condemned by the president himself, who stated that "what bothers the US about Cuba is true independence, that transnational corporations do not rule here, that we have free health care and education, that we do not ask permission to condemn crimes such as those committed by Israel and the US against the Palestinians."
The sanctions were also rejected by other Cuban leaders and representatives of the international community, who expressed their support for the Caribbean nation.
