标签： Cuba

Two months after the launch of Cuba’s ambitious Community Youth Network initiative, the country’s top leader Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez — who serves as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic — gathered with senior leaders of the Union of Young Communists (UJC) at Havana’s Palace of the Revolution for a working meeting to assess the program’s early outcomes and outline next steps for its expansion.

The meeting brought together a cross-section of key stakeholders beyond national UJC leadership: Roberto Morales Ojeda, member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization of the Communist Party Central Committee, student leaders, Havana-based UJC representatives, municipal network coordinators, and delegates from local People’s Councils all joined the discussion to share on-the-ground insights from the initiative’s rollout.

Opening the exchange, Díaz-Canel framed the current national moment as a defining test for Cuban revolutionaries, noting, “We are living through exceptional times in the country, and rising to the challenge of these times helps us grow as revolutionaries.” He emphasized that the Community Youth Network is far more than a routine administrative task, arguing that the program’s work carries long-term strategic importance for the future of the Cuban Revolution.

Addressing the core priorities of the initiative, Díaz-Canel reiterated the critical need to build consistent, structured support for the most vulnerable segments of Cuban society — particularly young people disconnected from formal education or employment. Rather than only providing direct aid, he stressed the importance of centering the participation of marginalized groups in designing solutions to their own challenges. To harness the untapped potential of workers currently out of employment amid the country’s ongoing economic pressures, he proposed forming specialized trade brigades that can respond directly to unmet local community needs.

Looking ahead, Díaz-Canel noted that the current generation of Cuban youth and leaders is facing unprecedented external pressure, including sustained psychological warfare, intimidation, and threats of aggression that create unique challenges. “When we achieve victory and emerge from this moment of suffocation to which we have been subjected, we will have for life the satisfaction that we were the generations that saved the Revolution,” he said, adding that the work of young people through the network is the foundation of the revolution’s ongoing continuity.

Meivys Estévez, First Secretary of the UJC National Committee, presented a comprehensive breakdown of the network’s early achievements two months post-launch. She outlined the seven interconnected projects that make up the initiative, which are rooted in goals of community transformation, innovation, and collective action. Early results include outreach and assistance to more than 4,000 elderly Cubans, placement of 9,000 young people into formal education or full-time employment through targeted job fairs, targeted support for more than 2,000 pregnant people, expansion of neighborhood recreational programming, and ongoing collaboration with local chapters of the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution and municipal Defense Councils.

Estévez added that the first two months of implementation have helped strengthen the capacity of youth leaders, equipping them with new skills to coordinate across institutions and build sustainable local teams to systematize the network’s work. While progress has been made in appointing municipal coordinators across the country, she acknowledged that some local People’s Councils have lagged in implementation, noting that the strongest outcomes have been delivered in areas where local authorities have prioritized deep engagement with cross-sector stakeholders.

Political Bureau member Roberto Morales Ojeda emphasized the need for clear accountability in the network’s neighborhood outreach, calling for systematic tracking of outcomes from each community visit, clearer alignment of responsibilities across institutions, and transparent assessment of what progress has delivered tangible changes for residents.

First introduced to national leaders in April 2026, the Community Youth Network was designed from its inception to center local context: it coordinates seven core projects while adapting to the unique needs of each municipality, and prioritizes sustained resident engagement in problem-solving rather than one-off, symbolic community events. Dahniz Díaz Pereira, First Secretary of the UJC Provincial Committee in Havana, shared insights from the capital’s rollout, stressing that youth presence in local neighborhoods must deliver lasting change rather than temporary engagement. “The important thing is that young people participate and become involved in the dynamics of their communities,” he noted.

On the eve of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CCP) and the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March, an official commemorative ceremony co-hosted by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and the Chinese Embassy in Cuba was held on Monday afternoon at Havana’s Palace of the Revolution, gathering senior political leaders, diplomatic envoys and representatives from both countries to celebrate these landmark events in modern Chinese history and strengthen socialist fraternity between the two nations.

The highest-ranking guest of the ceremony was Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the PCC Central Committee and President of the Republic of Cuba, whose presence underscored the deep strategic bond between the two socialist parties and countries. The event also drew a wide range of attendees from Cuba: members of the PCC Political Bureau, senior leaders of the Cuban state and government, representatives of the Young Communist League, mass organizations, the Revolutionary Armed Forces, the Ministry of the Interior, the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, alongside other invited guests. From the diplomatic community, ambassadors and other members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Cuba were in attendance, while Chinese participants included embassy officials, Chinese students studying in Cuba, and representatives of Chinese enterprises operating on the island.

Speaking at the ceremony from Portocarrero Hall, Hua Xin, China’s Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Cuba, opened his remarks by extending sincere gratitude to the PCC Central Committee for organizing the event, and conveyed warm greetings to the Cuban party, government, and people from all sectors who have long upheld friendship between the two sides. He noted that shared ideological convictions and shared experiences of revolutionary struggle have long bound the two socialist nations, both led by communist parties, in an unbreakable fraternal tie.

“The Communist Party of China will always stand with the Communist Party of Cuba,” Hua affirmed, before outlining the core ideological legacy of the CCP over its 105-year history. He recalled the founding spirit forged by the CCP’s early pioneers: adhering to truth, upholding ideals, staying true to the original aspiration, shouldering historical missions, being ready for sacrifice, waging heroic struggle, and remaining loyal and committed to the people. This spirit, he emphasized, remains the eternal spiritual source of the CCP.

Hua went on to note that the CCP’s century of extraordinary achievements stems from its consistent commitment to strengthening its own governance capacity. Over 105 years, the party has synthesized accumulated experience, integrated innovative theoretical approaches and governance strategies, with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era playing a central guiding role. This process has reinforced a core conclusion: Party leadership is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Turning to the current challenges facing Cuba, Hua reaffirmed China’s unwavering solidarity. “Today, faced with the escalating blockade imposed by the United States, as well as its military threats, the Party, the Government, and the people of Cuba remain steadfast in their conviction, will not yield to pressure, and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and the socialist cause,” he stated. Hua categorically opposed illegal unilateral sanctions and all forms of military intervention against Cuba, called on the United States to immediately end its decades-long blockade and all coercive measures against the Caribbean nation, and demanded an end to violations of the Cuban people’s inalienable rights to survival and development. He added that China firmly supports Cuba in exploring a socialist development path aligned with its own national conditions, applauds the PCC’s courageous push for economic and social transformation reforms, and expressed full confidence that under PCC leadership, the Cuban people will overcome current difficulties and secure new victories in socialist construction.

The keynote address was delivered by Emilio Lozada García, member of the PCC Central Committee and head of its International Relations Department. Lozada traced the CCP’s extraordinary growth, noting that what began as a small group of just 50 revolutionary militant pioneers has grown into the world’s largest communist party, boasting more than 100 million members today.

Recounting the CCP’s 105 years of historic victories, Lozada highlighted the 1934–1936 Long March led by the Red Army as one of the most defining episodes in the party’s revolutionary history. “This campaign gave a new and decisive direction to the Chinese revolution and demonstrated what a people, guided by its Communist Party, is capable of achieving,” he said. Lozada further noted that the CCP’s more than 70 years of guiding China’s complex, long-term process of socialist construction represents an unprecedented contribution to global socialist practice.

On the global stage, Lozada praised the CCP’s consistent commitment to advancing world peace, multilateralism, upholding international law, and defending the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. He singled out the major global initiatives put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping in recent years—including the Belt and Road Initiative, the vision of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind, and the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and Global Governance Initiative—as particularly impactful contributions to global progress.

Lozada stressed that the PCC and CCP are currently working together to build a bilateral China-Cuba Community with a Shared Future, and expressed deep gratitude for China’s unwavering support for Cuba in the face of U.S. aggression. “We appreciate the firm and unwavering support of the Communist Party of China against the economic, commercial, and financial blockade and the energy embargo imposed by the United States government, as well as against the infamous accusation against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz,” he said. “The Communist Party of Cuba is grateful for the constant support and accompaniment of the Communist Party of China, especially in the current circumstances of collective punishment and silent genocide against the Cuban people.”

Closing his remarks, Lozada reaffirmed the Cuban perspective on the CCP’s global significance: “The Communist Party of China is today an indispensable reference point in the process of building socialism and has demonstrated that the socialist system is a viable alternative to the savage capitalism that they are trying to impose on us from the North. Its commitment to achieving a more just, democratic, and equitable international order reaffirms that a better world is possible.”

On June 27, 2026, the 22nd Congress of the Cuban Workers’ Federation (CTC) drew to a close at Havana’s Convention Palace, with Cuban President and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez delivering a keynote address that framed the nation’s ongoing economic and social restructuring as a deliberate, sovereign effort to preserve socialism amid decades of U.S. aggression. The event, held in what Cuba has named the “Year of the Centennial of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz,” opened with Díaz-Canel extending recognition to host province Pinar del Río, standout regions Villa Clara and Matanzas, and celebrated Guantánamo and Sancti Spíritus for their recent work, drawing applause from assembled delegates.

Díaz-Canel emphasized that the 22nd CTC Congress, scaled back in delegate count and duration to align with strict resource rationing amid Cuba’s current crisis, was non-negotiable to hold. The nation is navigating one of the most severe economic and social challenges in its modern history, he noted, prompting the Communist Party and government to roll out urgent structural transformations, and the CTC — Cuba’s primary labor federation, whose leadership holds voting power in national decision-making in line with the country’s socialist framework — required a full, worker-led debate to cement support for the changes. Under the congress slogan “For Cuba, Together We Create,” two days of deliberations delivered an unambiguous vote of confidence from the country’s working class for the reform agenda, Díaz-Canel confirmed.

“No meaningful progress, from the productivity growth our economy desperately needs to the robust accountability systems that must accompany it, can happen without the intentional, conscious mobilization of Cuban workers,” he told delegates, invoking a decades-old quote from legendary Cuban labor leader Lázaro Peña that remains as relevant as ever: “Our strength lies in that conscious unity that does not ignore difficulties, but rather uses them to overcome them in daily action.”

Díaz-Canel pulled no punches in naming the root cause of Cuba’s current crisis: the long-running U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade — the most enduring punitive embargo in modern history — which he labeled an act of deliberate genocide against the Cuban people. The embargo, escalated in recent months by a full six-month oil embargo and more than 240 new restrictive measures, coupled with Cuba’s unjust designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, has plunged the nation’s power grid into a catastrophic crisis. Widespread blackouts disrupt daily life for Cuban families, paralyze industrial production, force thousands of workers to labor under extreme conditions, and have pushed many into unemployment or involuntary career shifts, he explained.

In response to this pressure, Díaz-Canel argued, passivity is not an option. Echoing six decades of creative resistance to the blockade, he called on workers to embrace innovation as a core survival strategy. He highlighted the countless examples of Cuban work collectives that have overcome chronic shortages of spare parts and supplies by adapting domestic technologies, modifying production processes, and keeping essential services running with limited resources. These localized, creative efforts, he said, are the clearest expression of the conscious unity Peña described: workers who do not shrink from hardship, but turn adversity into progress.

Addressing the historic responsibility of current generations to preserve and advance the Cuban Revolution, Díaz-Canel framed the reform push as an answer to an unprecedented question: how to build a just, sovereign socialist project in a small Caribbean nation that has endured 60 years of unrelenting U.S. pressure, on top of four centuries of colonial rule and decades of neocolonial exploitation. “The economic and social transformations we have approved are not a retreat from socialism — they are an effort to save the Revolution and its core social gains,” he stressed, pushing back against foreign-backed counterrevolutionary propaganda that frames the changes as a step toward capitalism.

Since the reforms were approved by the Communist Party Central Committee and the National Assembly of Cuba, leadership has actively collected input from tens of thousands of Cuban citizens, digital platform users, and independent experts, even as it monitors hostile U.S.-funded media campaigns that seek to force neoliberal restructuring and the dismantling of Cuba’s socialist political model. Díaz-Canel made clear that such demands will never be accepted as part of Cuba’s reform process.

Speaking directly to Cuban compatriots who hold doubts or legitimate concerns about the reform agenda, Díaz-Canel emphasized that the effort is explicitly rooted in economic and social transformation — the “social” component is not an afterthought, but the very core of the project. “These changes are not only about transforming the economy with respect for our natural environment,” he said. “They are about advancing social development and upholding social justice, which is the very essence of the Revolution.”

No existing blueprint exists for building socialism under the prolonged siege Cuba faces, Díaz-Canel noted, pointing to Fidel Castro’s own reflections on adapting socialist theory to Cuban context during the 1990s Special Period crisis. He quoted Castro’s 2005 speech, which argued that dogma has no place in socialist construction: “One conclusion I have reached after many years: among the many mistakes we have all made, the most important mistake was believing that anyone knew about socialism, or that anyone knew how to build socialism. […] We are idiots if we believe, for example, that economics — and I apologize to the tens of thousands of economists in this country — is an exact and eternal science.”

Díaz-Canel reiterated an unambiguous commitment to the core socialist project: “We do not propose, nor will it ever be among our purposes, the restoration of capitalism in Cuba! These transformations are about saving the Revolution and its undeniable social achievements, because we will never renounce the majority aspiration of socialist construction.”

To preserve and expand the Revolution’s landmark gains in universal health care, education, sports, culture, and science, Cuba must generate new material and financial resources that the U.S. blockade has systematically cut off, allowing the state to continue its commitment to fair redistribution. The core goal of the ongoing transformations, he explained, is to unleash Cuba’s productive forces to generate new wealth, which will then be distributed with the maximum possible level of social justice. The process is complex and urgent, he noted, but must be implemented deliberately and responsibly, with the protection of social welfare always prioritized above all other goals.

Díaz-Canel pushed back against claims that the reforms are an improvised concession to U.S. pressure, stressing that they align directly with the Guidelines for the Economic and Social Policy of the Revolution first approved at the 6th Party Congress in 2011, and updated at the 7th and 8th Congresses. Key changes that have drawn recent attention, including increased autonomy for state-owned enterprises and municipal governments, new frameworks for the relationship between central economic planning and market activity, updated rules for foreign direct investment, and expanded investment opportunities for Cuban emigrants, have been part of planned policy updates since late 2025, he confirmed.

Acknowledging that national leadership has delayed past reform efforts while waiting for more favorable conditions and broader collective consensus, Díaz-Canel called for open self-criticism starting from the country’s top leadership. “We cannot afford to repeat this mistake today,” he said, noting that all reforms now have assigned leadership, clear deadlines, and requirements for regular public progress updates. A robust national communication strategy will keep the public informed of changes, adjustments, and challenges at every step, he added.

All measures that can immediately unlock productive capacity will be implemented without delay, Díaz-Canel confirmed. State-owned and non-state economic actors will receive equal treatment based on their contribution to national development and social welfare, with all stakeholders coordinated to generate wealth for equitable redistribution. A core guardrail for all reforms is preventing growing inequality: any step that is expected to widen gaps will be paired with targeted support programs for vulnerable families, communities, and population groups, he said.

Díaz-Canel noted that successful implementation depends on broad, conscious public participation, with labor leaders playing a central role in educating and mobilizing workers. Communication efforts will not just repeat policy announcements, but explain how each reform advances socialist construction, boosts economic growth, expands equitable distribution, and delivers relief to all Cuban households. The debate on reforms remains open, he added: any proposal that improves the existing plan will be reviewed, analyzed, and incorporated if it aligns with the core political, economic, and social goals of the transformation project. Cuba welcomes input from experts across all fields, he said, with the only condition being respect for Cuba’s core socialist principles.

As part of the reform process, Cuba is leveraging modern technology including artificial intelligence to streamline planning and implementation, Díaz-Canel revealed. Cuban computer science and communications professionals have already developed domestic AI models that cut down the time needed for complex analysis from years to days. For example, comparing 176 proposed reform measures to Cuba’s existing legal framework was completed in a fraction of the time required for traditional manual analysis, making it possible to debate and approve the reforms far faster than originally planned. Díaz-Canel noted that AI will be used critically, with attention to its inherent biases, but Cuba will not reject the tool given its ability to accelerate the complex work of reform.

Work is already progressing rapidly to establish clear legal frameworks for all reforms, creating legal certainty for all economic actors with transparent rules for all permitted activities. Parallel to this, new mechanisms will be established to boost transparency and enable robust oversight by workers, civil society, and public institutions, particularly for real estate and asset bidding processes. Public digital platforms will publish all available assets, bidder information, contract awards, and justifications for decisions to ensure full accountability.

Tactically, Díaz-Canel said, immediate implementation of ready-to-launch measures is a top priority: this includes devolving new powers to municipal governments and state-owned enterprises, restructuring State Business Organizations (OSDEs) to unlock productive capacity, and other pre-vetted changes. Strategically, advancing the full legal framework is non-negotiable: without clear legal guardrails, key priorities including state restructuring, social protection, the reform of the foreign exchange market and tax system — two changes critical to ensuring equal treatment for all economic actors — cannot succeed, he explained.

Díaz-Canel highlighted the mass democratic consultation process for Cuba’s new Draft Labor Code, which drew input from more than two million Cuban workers between September and November 2025, in a nod to the Cuban working class’s long tradition of shaping national policy. The CTC Congress captured rank-and-file sentiment, with workers emphasizing that the new code must act as a protective shield for workers amid the changing economic landscape. Key worker demands include guaranteed protection from involuntary job loss in both the state and non-state sectors, and the creation of community brigades that allow displaced workers to contribute to neighborhood development while retaining income and social protection. Workers have also called for the code to not only regulate job duties, but formalize their active participation in workplace decision-making, including a voice and vote on wage setting, profit distribution, and corporate financial transparency. Proposals to modernize work rules, including formalizing telework (including for Cuban workers based abroad) and removing barriers to professionals holding multiple jobs, have also broad support, Díaz-Canel noted. All these priorities confirm that the new code is a modern, worker-centered framework aligned with Cuba’s goal of building a just socialist society, he said.

“Socialism is the work of the workers,” Díaz-Canel stressed, calling on union leaders to move beyond serving as mere transmitters of top-down instructions and become active, meaningful voices in administrative decision-making. He reaffirmed the commitment to building the national Economic Plan from the bottom up, starting with workplaces and economic actors, with workers holding a voice and vote in planning and serving as the primary watchdogs for implementation.

The Cuban labor movement’s role in defending the Revolution can be summarized in five core pillars, Díaz-Canel said: defending national sovereignty and socialism, sustaining constant growth in production and innovation, leading participation and oversight to root out corruption and harmful practices, contributing to local community development, and upholding the historic continuity of the revolutionary project. These pillars guided the 22nd CTC Congress, he noted.

Díaz-Canel closed by congratulating the newly elected CTC National Council and its General Secretary, expressing confidence that the new leadership will uphold the Revolution’s values and deliver the credible, representative organization Cuban workers deserve. Meeting the goals of the congress and the reform agenda requires unwavering will and deep conviction that success is possible, he said, calling on current generations to rise to the historic challenge.

In this centennial year of Fidel Castro’s birth, Díaz-Canel said, current generations will not betray history or tarnish the legacy of Cuba’s heroes and martyrs. “For them, for Cuba, for the future of socialism, we will continue resisting, working, creating, and triumphing!” he declared, closing with the chants that have defined the Cuban Revolution: “Long live the valiant workers, protagonists of the victorious resistance! The Homeland must be defended! For Cuba, together we create! Socialism or Death! Homeland or Death! We shall overcome!”

Hundreds of residents of Pinar del Río, Cuba, poured into the city’s central Independence Park on Saturday to celebrate the announcement that their province has been chosen to host the nation’s official commemoration of the 73rd anniversary of the landmark 1953 attacks on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks. The selection comes as Cuba marks the 100th birth centennial of iconic revolutionary leader Fidel Castro Ruz, adding unique historical weight to the 2026 national event.

Addressing the gathered crowd from a purpose-built event platform, Yamilé Ramos Cordero, First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party in Pinar del Río, extended congratulations to local residents and emphasized that they were the driving force behind the province’s selection. “We are deeply honored by this recognition, especially since it comes in the year we are commemorating the centennial of our historic leader, Fidel Castro Ruz,” Ramos Cordero told attendees.

Ramos Cordero addressed public questions surrounding the choice of Pinar del Río for the national commemoration amid the country’s ongoing challenging economic and social conditions, framing the selection as a deliberate tribute to everyday Cuban resilience. “It is a tribute to the students, the young people, and the thousands of men and women from all sectors who, day after day, overcome the numerous limitations imposed by the U.S. government’s policy of strangulation on the daily lives of Cubans,” she said. “Throughout our nation, there is an extraordinary effort to move forward, seeking alternatives and solutions to the major problems we face.”

In addition to honoring Pinar del Río, Ramos Cordero congratulated all other provinces that received special recognition from the Communist Party of Cuba’s Political Bureau. She called on all Cubans to use the upcoming July 26 commemoration — a day to honor the revolutionaries who launched the 1953 uprising that laid the foundation for Cuba’s 1959 revolutionary government — as a catalyst for renewed national effort. The anniversary, she said, should motivate continued work, construction, innovation and improvement across all sectors of Cuban society, addressing areas that have yet to reach full potential.

Cuba’s national president and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, has already issued formal congratulations to Pinar del Río and the other recognized provinces for the distinction. For Pinar del Río, this 2026 event marks the fourth time the province has been selected to host the national July 26 commemoration, with previous hosting duties in 1976, 2000 and 2017. This repeated selection underscores the province’s longstanding standing in Cuba’s revolutionary history and its ongoing contributions to national life.

On Thursday, Cuba held a solemn state funeral to honor one of its most revered revolutionary leaders, Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, at the Ernesto Che Guevara Sculptural Complex in Santa Clara, drawing hundreds of Villa Clara residents who joined as representatives of the Cuban people to pay their final respects.

Floral tributes were placed at the ceremony on behalf of Army General Raúl Castro Ruz; Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic; the Association of Cuban Combatants; the Cuban people; and Valdés’s immediate family.

In his keynote address at the memorial service, President Díaz-Canel highlighted the extraordinary legacy of a commander who dedicated more than seven decades of his life to the Cuban revolutionary cause, earning his status as an irreplaceable pillar of the nation’s revolutionary movement.

“Amid the deep sorrow of his passing, no matter how full a life he lived or how much he gave to our country, we still feel his absence acutely,” Díaz-Canel told the gathered crowd. “It is only right that we express our gratitude for the outpouring of solidarity from across all of Cuba as we bid him farewell, and for all the lessons we have drawn from his remarkable, exemplary life.”

The president walked attendees through key chapters of Valdés’s decades-long revolutionary career, recalling his participation in the 1953 Moncada Barracks attack, the historic Granma expedition that launched the revolutionary insurgency, and the years of guerrilla struggle in the Sierra Maestra mountains. He also underscored Valdés’s close ideological and personal bond with Ciro Redondo, second-in-command of Column No. 8, and with Ernesto “Che” Guevara — a bond that made Valdés a brother in arms to Guevara throughout the invasion of western Cuba and the decisive Las Villas campaign, which culminated in the landmark victory at the Battle of Santa Clara that sealed the revolution’s success.

Díaz-Canel further recalled that it was this long-standing loyalty and affinity that led Fidel Castro to task Valdés with leading the mission to locate and recover the remains of Che Guevara and his fallen comrades in Bolivia, before transferring their remains to their final resting place in Santa Clara — a assignment Valdés completed with the same meticulous, exemplary dedication that defined all his work for the revolution.

“Ramiro’s life was a lesson in history and moral purpose. He earned the title of hero through his every action, and he never wavered in his absolute faith and loyalty to Fidel and Raúl,” Díaz-Canel said. “His extraordinary life teaches us that the revolution is built on humility and unshakable conviction in ultimate victory.”

The formal burial proceedings opened with the playing of the Cuban National Anthem. Following the president’s address, Valdés’s funeral urn was transferred to a hearse bound for the Mausoleum of the Las Villas Front Combatants, where his mortal remains will be interred alongside fighters of the Reinforcement Detachment commanded by Che Guevara.

The procession carried the two stars marking Valdés’s status as a Hero of the Republic of Cuba and a Hero of Labor, alongside the many decorations and honors he earned for his decades of exceptional service. Resting closest to the urn was a folded Cuban flag, the same flag Valdés brought back from Bolivia along with Guevara’s remains, which he kept close to him for the rest of his life.

Members of the Ceremonial Unit of the Cuban Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior marched alongside the procession to the mausoleum, to the notes of “El Invasor” — the anthem that commemorates the epic history of Column 8 Ciro Redondo, where Valdés served as second-in-command under Guevara.

After Valdés’s ossuary was placed in its final resting place, the first niche of the first row of the Vanguard block, positioned to the right of the eternal flame that Valdés himself lit at the mausoleum’s inauguration on October 8, 2009, three rifle volleys were fired to honor the iconic revolutionary. Following the sounding of Taps, relatives of Valdés — who bore the legacy of being a hero of Moncada, the Granma expedition, and the Sierra Maestra struggle — alongside top revolutionary leaders, laid white roses at the gravesite. The moving moment concluded with a shared embrace between President Díaz-Canel and Valdés’s widow, Alicia Alonso Becerra.

In attendance alongside the national leadership were Esteban Lazo Hernández, President of the National Assembly of People’s Power and the Council of State; Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; Gladys Martínez Verdecia, First Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Party in Artemisa; Rebel Army Commander José Ramón Machado Ventura; members of the Secretariat of the Central Committee; and other senior state and government leaders, joined by the highest provincial authorities of Villa Clara.

In a final reflection on Valdés’s legacy, the event reaffirmed that while the iconic revolutionary never sought the spotlight in the extraordinary project of the Cuban revolution, his place as a central protagonist of the nation’s liberation struggle is secure forever, and his example will continue to shape Cuba for generations to come.

On June 25, 2026 — a year marking the centennial of Fidel Castro Ruz, the Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Revolution — Cuba gathered in Santa Clara’s Ernesto Che Guevara Sculptural Complex to inter the remains of one of its most iconic revolutionary leaders, Ramiro Valdés Menéndez. Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, delivered a moving eulogy honoring the life and legacy of the revolutionary commander at the interment ceremony, held at the Las Villas Front Mausoleum.

Valdés now rests in the historic city he helped liberate as a member of the rebel vanguard led by Che Guevara decades earlier. It is a fitting resting place: the memorial complex where he is interred was a project he oversaw from its earliest planning to its final completion, and it was here that he joined Fidel Castro and Raúl Castro to lay Che Guevara’s remains to rest decades ago. For years, he returned to this mausoleum every time he visited Santa Clara to pay tribute to his fallen comrades-in-arms.

Born into deep poverty in Artemisa’s La Matilde neighborhood, in a home with a dirt floor and cardboard roof that leaked heavier during storms than outside, Valdés inherited unshakable values from his mother Ofelia Menéndez, a follower of Cuban independence icon José Martí. She taught him dignity, honesty, and pride in his humble, upright roots — values that would guide every decision of his 70-plus years of revolutionary service. When Fulgencio Batista seized power in a 1952 coup, a young Valdés immediately aligned with Fidel Castro, drawn to the revolutionary leader’s vision for a free and just Cuba.

Valdés’ place in Cuban revolutionary history was cemented early: he was the first fighter to breach the gates during the 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks, where he sustained a bullet wound he would later remove himself with a field knife while hiding in the Sierra Maestra mountains. From imprisonment on the Isle of Pines to exile in Mexico, from the historic Granma expedition to the chaotic aftermath of the Alegría de Pío defeat, Valdés never wavered in his commitment to the revolutionary cause. His absolute faith in Fidel and the fight for Cuban sovereignty became his defining trait.

In the Sierra Maestra, Valdés rose to the rank of Commander and served as second-in-command of Che Guevara’s Column 8 during the legendary Western Invasion, a campaign he dreamed of leading as a child reading stories of Cuba’s 19th-century independence fighters. He forged two unbreakable bonds during these years: one with childhood friend and fellow conspirator Ciro Redondo, whose death in the Battle of Mar Verde left a permanent wound, and another with Che Guevara himself. The pair became ideological brothers, and Fidel Castro trusted Valdés so deeply that he assigned him to protect Che’s life. When Che was killed in Bolivia, Valdés led the mission to recover his remains and bring him home to Cuba, once writing that if he had accompanied Che, the world would have been searching for both of them — a testament to a brotherhood that outlasted death.

After the 1959 revolutionary triumph, Valdés took on the monumental task of building Cuba’s State Security apparatus from scratch, starting with just three staff members in a single office in Ciudad Libertad. Operating under his motto that the work of defending the revolution must be done in silence, he served as Minister of the Interior, countering CIA conspiracies, foiling assassination plots against Fidel, quelling counterrevolutionary banditry in the Escambray Mountains, and blocking every form of imperial aggression. Later, as Vice President of the Councils of State and Ministers, he oversaw strategic core sectors including telecommunications, energy, construction and mining. A self-taught leader without an engineering degree, he studied relentlessly to master his portfolio, proving revolutionary commitment could overcome any obstacle.

Beyond his official roles, Valdés embodied the quiet discipline and humility that defined Cuba’s founding revolutionary generation. He maintained a rigorous daily fitness routine well into his 90s, believing that revolutionaries must stay physically and mentally prepared to serve the nation at all times. He rejected public attention and personal glory, seeing only the fulfillment of duty to the Cuban people as his life’s purpose. This modesty and lack of vanity earned him deep affection and respect across the island. Just months before his death, when he did not appear at public events including the inauguration of new solar energy parks, ordinary Cubans across the country began asking: Where is Ramiro?

Throughout his life, Valdés’ unwavering loyalty was anchored to the ideals of Fidel Castro and Raúl Castro, a loyalty born of decades of shared struggle and common vision for Cuban sovereignty and social justice. He was a steadfast supporter of generational transition under Raúl’s leadership, and mentored a new generation of revolutionary leaders including Díaz-Canel himself. Though his reserved demeanor often masked his warmth, those who knew him recalled a man of deep tenderness: a devoted husband to his wife Alicia, his partner of more than five decades, and a loving father who passed on the values of honesty and revolutionary commitment to his children and grandchildren. As Valdés himself often said, “History shows, at least Cuban history, that to be a revolutionary you have to be romantic, idealistic and in love, first and foremost with the Revolution, that’s how it is, there is no other way.”

Closing his eulogy, Díaz-Canel rejected the traditional call for peaceful rest, echoing words written for Che Guevara’s 1997 interment at the same site. The mausoleum that holds Valdés’ remains will always be more than a resting place, Díaz-Canel said: it is a trench, a battlefield, a camp for the ongoing fight for the Cuban people. It is a fitting legacy for a fighter who never stopped serving his nation until his final days. To Ramiro Valdés, Díaz-Canel said, the Cuban people owe eternal gratitude for his dedication, his commitment, and his unwavering example. Always onward to victory.

In a formal statement delivered at a regular press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun has issued a clear rebuke of unlawful unilateral sanctions, reinforcing Beijing’s long-standing position that such coercive measures lack any grounding in international legal frameworks.

Guo’s comments came in direct response to new restrictive measures unveiled by the U.S. State Department on June 23, which targeted five Cuban entities and one individual over unsubstantiated claims that they generate illicit revenue for the Cuban government.

Against this backdrop, the spokesman urged Washington to take immediate action to terminate its decades-long economic blockade of Cuba, as well as halt all other forms of coercive pressure targeting the island nation. He emphasized that the long-running U.S. embargo has systematically undermined the fundamental rights of the Cuban people to access basic resources, sustain livelihoods, and pursue long-term development, calling on U.S. authorities to end these violations immediately.

Beyond addressing the latest sanctions, Guo reaffirmed China’s unwavering support for Cuba’s sovereign right to chart its own developmental path. Specifically, Beijing backs Cuba’s efforts to pursue a socialist development model tailored to its unique national circumstances, and stands firmly with the island in defending its territorial integrity, national sovereignty, and domestic security. The spokesman also reiterated China’s consistent opposition to any form of external interference in Cuba’s internal affairs.

This latest statement from Beijing aligns with China’s long-held public stance on the U.S. embargo. For decades, China has repeatedly condemned Washington’s more than 60-year economic blockade of Cuba— which has been accompanied by growing coercive measures and heightened military threats in recent years—across multiple international forums and in official government communications.

HAVANA, June 24 – A top leader of Cuba’s ruling Communist Party has publicly condemned long-standing United States policy toward his country, saying Washington’s end goal is to achieve complete political and economic domination over the Caribbean island. Roberto Morales Ojeda, who serves as a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party Central Committee and the body’s Organization Secretary, made the accusation in a post published to his official Facebook profile, echoing longstanding Cuban pushback against decades of U.S. pressure.