CARICOM leaders also rejected unfounded U.S. accusations of labor exploitation of health workers.

This week, China accused the United States of using its allegations of “forced labor” in Cuban medical missions as a pretext, referring to the restrictions imposed by Washington on foreign officials who collaborate with these programs.

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“The accusations of ‘forced labor’ are nothing more than a pretext used by the U.S. to repress Cuba and exercise its hegemonic tools,” Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

At a press conference, Mao emphasized that Cuban medical missions have been “widely well received by the governments and peoples of the Caribbean,” and recalled that “particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba overcame its own difficulties and sent more than 600,000 medical professionals to over 60 countries, providing care to more than 230 million people and saving more than 12 million lives.”

The spokeswoman also criticized Washington’s policy toward the island and stated that “the actions of the U.S. are nothing more than an extension and intensification of its blockade and sanctions against Cuba, which have lasted for more than 60 years.”

Beijing, which has repeatedly expressed its opposition to the U.S. embargo on Cuba, urged Washington to lift its sanctions. “China opposes coercive diplomacy and urges the U.S. to immediately end its blockade and sanctions against Cuba under any pretext,” Mao concluded.

The Chinese spokeswoman’s statements come amid growing controversy between the U.S. and several countries in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), whose leaders have also rejected allegations of labor exploitation against Cuban doctors.

Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, and Antigua & Barbuda have warned that without the presence of Cuban healthcare personnel, their health systems would collapse. CARICOM has requested a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss the impact of these restrictions on the region’s healthcare systems.

At the end of February, Washington announced the expansion of visa restrictions against individuals involved in what it considers “labor exploitation” of Cuban workers abroad. According to the U.S., the Cuban government retains a substantial portion of the wages paid to doctors and restricts their mobility, which constitutes a form of human trafficking.

Cuban authorities have strongly rejected the U.S. sanctions and defended their medical missions as an act of “internationalist solidarity” that has allowed millions of people to receive care in more than 165 countries over the course of more than six decades.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: EFE – CNC3

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