China and Cuba Strengthen Military Ties

(Beijing, China) The Chinese and the Cubans have been holding high-level meetings to discuss their armed forces.

Cuban Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Gen. Alvaro Lopez Miera, is in China for meetings with the Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie, People's Liberation Army Chief of Staff Chen Bingde, and Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping.

China’s official Xinhua news agency reported that during the meeting Xi asked that ties between two of the world’s few remaining self-proclaimed socialist countries be tightened.

“Developing the friendly relationship between China and Cuba not only responds to the fundamental interest of the two peoples, but also reviews the great importance of maintaining world peace and stability and strengthening common development,” Xi said.

The vice president emphasized the development of bilateral relations since the two regimes established diplomatic ties in 1960, and he added that the countries’ respective armies have increased their mutual understanding through cooperation and top-level exchanges.

Notably, VP Xi is expected to succeed President Hu Jintao in 1012.

Regarding what is being discussed between the Chinese and Cuba, I'd ominously suggest that it has to do with an expansion of Chinese military influence in the Western Hemisphere.

Maybe Cuba is offering a location for the Chinese to set up camp in exchange for money. After all, Cuba is recognized as being chronically overextended financially and an influx of Chinese cash would help the Cuban socialist utopia to feed new promises to the people while continuing to give them equally distributed poverty.

In any event, I get the nagging feeling that Cuba has its hand out to a communist giant hoping to develop a relationship similar to that which existed when the island nation was essentially a satellite of the Soviet Union.