Cuba blockade | Washington sanctions, Berlin looks the other way

The sanctions against Chinese companies are intended to slow the solarification of Cuba. Photo: AFP/Stringer "The federal government rejects the fact that Cuba is instrumentalizing the UN General Assembly in order to unilaterally blame the USA for the humanitarian emergency in Cuba." Gunther Krichbaum, Minister of State for Europe in the Foreign Office and European policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, used these words in a question time in the Bundestag to justify Germany's changed voting behavior in the UN General Assembly. For the first time in 24 years, Germany abstained from the blockade vote, thereby supporting the US's strangling tactics against Cuba.

In Washington, Germany's change of course was noted with satisfaction. Just two days after its debacle in the US midterm elections, the US government under Donald Trump announced a new round of sanctions against Cuba. For the first time, the coercive measures are also aimed at Chinese companies; Above all, they open up the possibility of taking far-reaching steps against foreign companies that are active in strategic sectors of the Cuban economy.

The US State Department sanctioned eight Cuban entities and two individuals last Thursday; It also classified five ships as blocked property. The measures target actors linked to the Cuban government's crude oil transport networks, state-owned import companies, and two Chinese electronics companies, Ceiec and Beijing H&C Technologies. The latter is accused of selling electronics and security components to the Cuban army.

»China firmly rejects illegal unilateral sanctions and the so-called extraterritorial application of law; “They have no basis in international law and are not authorized by the United Nations Security Council,” said China’s Foreign Office spokesman Guo Jiakun. "China will take all necessary measures to resolutely protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies."

"The federal government is placing responsibility for the humanitarian crisis solely on the Cuban leadership, which is simply not true in fact."

The sanctions include freezing the assets of affected companies and individuals in the United States. In addition, US companies and individuals are prohibited from all transactions and dealings with them.

In parallel, the US Treasury Department has issued a regulation that allows Washington to take action against any foreign company operating in the electronics, manufacturing, maritime or technology sectors of the Cuban economy. It is unclear which companies from third countries the USA is specifically targeting; however, the wording is so broad that virtually any part of the Cuban industrial sector could be affected. For example, the Swiss food company Nestlé could come into focus. The US news agency Bloomberg refers to the French beverage manufacturer Pernod Ricard, which sells the “Havana Club” rum brand as part of a joint venture with the Cuban state.

The sanctions are based on an executive order from US President Trump dated May 1st of this year. So far, sanctions have largely focused on the energy, tourism, mining, medical services and finance sectors. This has already led to the withdrawal of Spanish hotel groups, the credit card companies Visa and Mastercard, international shipping companies and the Canadian mining company Sherritt from business in Cuba.

The federal government is “concerned about the humanitarian situation in Cuba and the suffering of the Cuban population.” "The main responsibility for the humanitarian crisis lies with the Cuban leadership, which has been blocking political, economic and democratic reforms for decades," explained Gunther Krichbaum in a question time in the Bundestag in response to a question from the Left-wing Bundestag member Gökay Akbulut. She wanted to know why the federal government abstained from the UN General Assembly's vote at the end of October on the resolution introduced by Cuba to end the US economic, trade and financial blockade against the island for the first time since 2002.

Krichbaum criticized Cuba for voting alongside Russia in the UN at the end of February against a resolution calling for lasting peace in Ukraine and a ceasefire between the two sides. The government in Havana is also "not taking decisive action against the continued participation of Cuban nationals in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine," he explained. "As a result of weighing up these aspects, the federal government, together with nine other EU member states, abstained from the vote." The federal government's position that the extraterritorial effect of the US sanctions contradicts international law has not changed.

“The federal government is placing responsibility for the humanitarian crisis solely on the Cuban leadership, which is simply not true in fact,” Akbulut told “nd”. She refers to the blockade of all crude oil deliveries to Cuba ordered by the Trump administration at the end of January - with devastating consequences for the Cuban health system. The reference to the Ukraine war was also made. »The fact that the federal government is now abandoning its [previous] line under pressure from Washington is a knee-jerk reaction to foreign policy. We call on them to return to their previous stance and to take a clear stand against the blockade, which violates international law.”

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