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☆ Cuba blames US sanctions for fomenting irregular migration amid exodus
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Nelson Acosta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The United States - the top destination for Cuban migrants -in 2022 renewed talks with Cuba and has since increased legal pathways to migration for Cubans, including visa access in Havana, family reunification and humanitarian parole programs aimed at stemming illegal migration. But the problem won't go away, said Cuban vice foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, until the United States eases sanctions on the island, which Cuba blames for devastating its already-ailing state-run economy. "For the United States, the priority of destabilizing Cuba continues to take precedence over its interest in protecting its borders in terms of migration," de Cossio told reporters following the talks. The U.S. says the sanctions are necessary to promote human rights and fundamental liberties in Cuba and that it makes exceptions for humanitarian purposes. Reporting by Nelson Acosta; editing by Dave Sherwood and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yireht, Yanara, Adrees Latif, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, de Cossio, Nelson Acosta, Dave Sherwood, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Cuban, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: Cuba, Rio, United States, Mexico, Eagle Pass , Texas, U.S, Rights HAVANA, Havana, Cuban, Caribbean

☆ China says allegations of Chinese spying in Cuba are false
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, June 12 (Reuters) - China said on Monday that allegations that it was using Cuba as a spying base are false and it denounced the U.S. government and media for releasing what it called inconsistent information. A Biden administration official said on Saturday China had been spying from Cuba for some time and it had upgraded its intelligence collection facilities there in 2019. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that a new spying effort was underway on the island, citing U.S. officials. "On the alleged spy activities of China in Cuba, this is a piece of false information," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, told a regular press conference. The allegation about Cuba comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepares to visit China this week.

Persons: Biden, Wang Wenbin, Wang, Antony Blinken, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, Washington, Andrew Hayley, Bernard Orr, Ryan Woo, Philippa Fletcher, Robert Birsel Organizations: U.S, China, Wall Street Journal, White House National Security, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Cuba, Beijing, United States, U.S, America, Caribbean

☆ China has been spying from Cuba for some time, U.S. official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) - China has been spying from Cuba for some time and upgraded its intelligence collection facilities there in 2019, a Biden administration official said on Saturday, following a report about a new spying effort underway on the island. The official said the issue predated Joe Biden's presidency, as had Beijing's efforts to strengthen its intelligence collection infrastructure worldwide. "The PRC (People's Republic of China) conducted an upgrade of its intelligence collection facilities in Cuba in 2019. That includes a trip to China that U.S. officials say Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning for June 18. The official said U.S. diplomats had engaged governments that were considering hosting Chinese bases and had exchanged information with them.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden's, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, Antony Blinken, Washington's, Donald Trump, Andrea Shalal, Phil Stewart, Dave Sherwood, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Biden, People's, Cuban, Foreign, Thomson Locations: China, Cuba, Florida, U.S, People's Republic of China, Washington, Cuban, America, Beijing, United States, Coast, Havana

☆ China: 'Hacker empire' US is 'spreading rumours' with talk of Cuba spy station
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, June 9 (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry on Friday said "spreading rumours and slander" is a common tactic of "hacker empire" the United States, after a media report that China has reached a deal with Cuba to set up an electronic eavesdropping facility on the island. Cuba and China have reached an agreement in principle, the U.S. officials said, with China to pay Cuba "several billion dollars" for the eavesdropping station, according to the Journal. "As we all know, spreading rumours and slander is a common tactic of the United States," said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson at the Chinese foreign ministry. "The United States is also the most powerful hacker empire in the world, and also veritably a major monitoring nation." The reported deal could raise questions about a near-term visit to China that U.S. officials say Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning.

Persons: John Kirby, Wang Wenbin, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, Liz Lee, Ryan Woo, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Wall Street Journal, White House National Security Council, Reuters, Cuban, Foreign, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, United States, China, Cuba, Beijing, U.S, Washington, America, Caribbean

[1/3] Texas National Guard vehicles are pictured along the U.S.-Mexico border in downtown in El Paso, Texas, U.S., January 4, 2023. REUTERS/Paul RatjeWASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - U.S. and Cuban officials discussed migration issues on Wednesday as the Biden administration braces for the end of COVID-era border restrictions that have blocked Cubans in recent months from crossing into the United States from Mexico. After Biden adopted more restrictive border security measures in January, the number of Cubans and other migrants caught at the border plummeted. However, the Biden administration is preparing for a possible rise in illegal crossings with COVID restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border set to lift on May 11. Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Cuba blasts U.S. for years of disregarding evidence on 'Havana Syndrome'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Dave Sherwood | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

read more"This conclusion ... confirms what we already knew," Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told Reuters in an interview in Havana late on Thursday. "The unfortunate thing is, the U.S. government leveraged (Havana Syndrome) to derail bilateral relations ... and discredit Cuba." Cuba has for years labeled as "science fiction" the idea that ´Havana Syndrome´ resulted from an attack by a foreign agent, and its top scientists in 2021 found no evidence of such allegations. De Cossio told Reuters there had been no shortage of evidence and that the revelation this week cast fresh doubt on the credibility of other U.S. policies towards Cuba. ´Havana Syndrome,´ referred to by the U.S. government as "anomalous health incidents," first came to light in 2016 after dozens of diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Havana complained of intense headaches, nausea, memory lapses and dizziness.

☆ Cuba says U.S. greenlights MLB players for World Baseball Classic
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HAVANA, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Cuba said on Saturday the United States had granted permission for some of its top ballplayers to participate in the World Baseball Classic on the national team. The team will be the first since Fidel Castro's 1959 Revolution to include Cuban players from both countries. Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told Reuters earlier this month the United States was blocking some of Cuba's top players from participating in the Classic. Cuba has asked several players who in recent years had defected from the Caribbean island - long famed for its baseball talent - to represent their home country in the event. As a result, Cuba's baseball talent has fled the country in unprecedented numbers in the past decade, emptying dugouts and denting national pride.

HAVANA/WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Cuba´s Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio on Thursday accused long-time rival the United States of doublespeak after the Biden administration proposed to scrap a plan to install a new undersea telecommunications cable to Cuba. Cuba has long accused the U.S. of doublespeak, saying a Cold War-era embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba has failed to upend Cuba´s government, and instead, has only caused suffering among the Cuban people. The U.S. government in recent years has been scrutinizing undersea cable connections especially involving China. The existing ARCOS-1 submarine cable system connects the United States with 14 countries in the Caribbean, Central America and South America and sought to expand to a landing station in Cojimar, Cuba. The system's operator argues it would "increase the means through which Cubans on the island can communicate with the United States and the rest of the world."

☆ Cuba hosts first U.S. business conference in years, seeks investment
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Marc Frank | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Cuba's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Fernandez de Cossio listens to Phil Peters, founder of FocusCuba, during a conference in Havana, Cuba, October 26, 2022. "Almost everything we do is with the new booming private sector," said Cuban-American Hugo , whose Miami-based Fuego Enterprises Inc (FUGI.PK) operates an online food market that processes 4,000 orders in Cuba per day. "It is important American businesses see this for themselves," said Cancio, who was attending the conference. The Biden administration has loosened some restrictions on Cuba around remittances, tourism and migration. It has also expressed interest in supporting Cuba's private sector.

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