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Former President Raul Castro, pictured successful 2017, has been indicted by an American court, arsenic Washington continues to ramp up unit connected Cuba
China has called connected the US to halt utilizing "coercion" and "threats" against its state Cuba, aft Washington indicted erstwhile person Raúl Castro connected execution charges.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to exert unit connected Cuba and has openly discussed toppling its communist regime.
On Thursday, Chinese overseas ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the US should "stop threatening unit astatine each turn", and that Beijing "firmly supports Cuba".
On Wednesday, Castro was charged alongside 5 others of engagement successful the shooting down of 2 planes travelling betwixt Cuba and Florida 3 decades ago, and was indicted with offences which transportation penalties of beingness successful situation oregon death.
The aircraft, which were operated by the Cuban-American dissident radical Brothers to the Rescue, were carrying 3 US citizens erstwhile they were downed, each of whom were killed.
At the time, Castro - who stepped down arsenic president successful 2018 - was caput of the country's equipped forces.
The incidental caused outcry among Cuban exiles surviving successful the US and has agelong been a root of contention betwixt Washington and Havana.
Cuba's president Miguel Díaz-Canel has described the charges arsenic "a governmental manoeuvre, devoid of immoderate ineligible foundation".
The overseas curate of China, a long-standing protagonist of Cuba, said Beijing opposed "any effort by outer forces to exert unit connected Cuba nether immoderate pretext".
Guo continued: "The United States should cease utilizing sanctions and judicial apparatus arsenic tools of coercion against Cuba and refrain from making threats of unit astatine each turn.
"China resolutely supports Cuba successful safeguarding its nationalist sovereignty and dignity and opposes outer interference."
It comes arsenic the White House continues to ratchet up unit connected Cuba.
The US has imposed caller sanctions connected the state and imposed a blockade connected lipid to Cuba, a determination which has resulted successful blackouts and nutrient shortages.
Earlier this month, Trump signed an enforcement bid sanctioning officials successful Cuba's energy, defence, fiscal and information sectors, arsenic good arsenic individuals the US alleges person carried retired quality rights abuses oregon stolen nationalist assets.
In 2018, Cuba joined China's Belt and Road Initiative, which funded respective strategical infrastructure projects connected the island.
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