On April 19, 2018, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping respectively sent messages to First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba Raul Castro Ruz and newly-appointed President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers Miguel Díaz-Canel of Cuba, congratulating on the election of new state leaders at the 9th National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba.
Xi Jinping pointed out in the congratulatory messages that China and Cuba are good comrades, good friends and good partners enjoying sincerity, mutual trust and shared future. The people of the two countries have forged profound friendship in the protracted and arduous struggle, providing strong impetus for the development of bilateral relations. Currently, the international and regional situation has been undergoing profound and complicated changes, and both China and Cuba have embarked on the new journey of development and progress. China is willing to continue going forward hand in hand with Cuba.
Xi Jinping emphasized that I attach great importance to the development of China-Cuba relations, and stand ready to keep close communication with First Secretary Raul Castro Ruz to promote bilateral relations for continuous and forward-looking development. I am ready to make joint efforts with President Miguel Díaz-Canel to constantly expand the width and depth of cooperation between the two countries and strive to achieve new accomplishments that can honor the China-Cuba friendship in the new era.
On the same day, Premier Li Keqiang also sent a message to congratulate President Miguel Díaz-Canel, expressing that China is ready to make joint efforts with Cuba to inherit the past and usher the future, and constantly enrich the connotation and outcomes of the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, in a bid to push bilateral relations for long-term and steady development.