Havana, January 22nd—Song Tao, Special Envoy of General Secretary Xi Jinping and Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee met here today with José Ramón Balaguer Cabrera, Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee and Head of the Department of International Relations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC).

Speaking positively of relations between the two parties and the two countries, Song expressed that despite the distance keeping China and Cuba apart, the common ideals and beliefs have closely linked the two countries together. In recent years, General Secretary Xi and First Secretary Raúl Castro have met many times, leading relations between both countries to enter the new development period. The increasing deepening of communication between the CPC and the PCC has promoted respective party-building and socialist construction cause, and also given strong and powerful political guidance and support to relations between the two countries. The CPC is willing to, together with the PCC, carry out multi-level and wide-ranging communication and cooperation, and learn from each other to jointly open up a new situation for China-Cuba friendship. China fully respects Cuba to explore the development path of socialism conforming to its national condition, and will support the country’s legitimate fight for national sovereignty and independence as always.

Balaguer expressed that the development results achieved from China’s reform and opening up have proved the strong vitality of the path of socialism. Cuba hopes to learn from China’s experience, and strive to build a prosperous and sustainable socialism based on its actual conditions. The PCC attaches high importance to friendly relations between the PCC and the CPC, and is willing to, together with the CPC, enhance exchanges, further consolidate the mechanism of reporting intra-party and domestic major issues to each other, deepen experience communication on state governance and administration, and jointly well host the theory seminar between the two parties, so as to advance the socialist causes of both countries for continuous development.

Song and Balaguer jointly renewed the communication and cooperation agreement of the two parties, and exchanged in-depth views on international and regional issues of common concern.

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