Cuba Gradually Restores Power, US Continues to Apply Pressure

Cuba - The United States continues to exert greater pressure on Cuba, demanding more reforms to promote market economic development. Previously, Cuba had just experienced another large-scale blackout and is now working to restore power supply. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the measures announced by Havana the day before, which allowed Cuban emigrants to invest in Cuba and own private enterprises, were far from "sufficient."

Rubio said at the White House: "Cuba's economy is malfunctioning, and its political and government system is incapable of solving this issue. They need to implement thorough reforms." Rubio himself is of Cuban descent and is an open opponent of the Havana Communist regime.

He added: "The measures they announced yesterday (Monday) are far from sufficient and cannot solve the problem. Therefore, they still have important decisions to make." US President Trump said: "They are having discussions with Marco, and we will take action on the Cuba issue soon." On Monday, he had said "believed" he "was fortunate enough to take over Cuba," but did not specify the meaning.

On Monday, Havana announced that Cuban emigrants, especially those living in the United States, would be able to invest in multiple sectors in Cuba, including banking, agriculture, tourism, mining, and infrastructure construction. However, the Cuban government, which is currently negotiating with the United States, reiterated that the trade embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba since 1962 remains a major obstacle for Cuba and American companies to establish relations.

This statement was released as Cuba's economy has been weak due to a crisis lasting more than six years, and is now on the verge of collapse, with Washington's energy blockade and sanctions further worsening the economy.

On Tuesday, the country with a population of 9.6 million people is working to restore power across the nation, following another large-scale blackout the day before. The National Electricity Company (UNE) announced: By noon, nearly 45% of households in Havana (population 1.7 million) had restored power.

Previously, authorities had stated: "From the westernmost province of Pinar del Río to the central-eastern province of Holguín, the power grid has been restored, covering more than two-thirds of the country."

The electricity company is currently working to increase power generation to ensure that every household has electricity. Olga Suárez, a 64-year-old retiree, told AFP on the morning of the 17th in the Vedado district of the capital Havana: "We have always been worried that the power outage would continue, and the little food in the refrigerator would spoil because of high prices." She also said, "Otherwise, we have become accustomed to it, because we don't have electricity at home when we go to sleep and when we wake up every night."

This is the sixth large-scale blackout in less than one and a half years. At the beginning of March, two-thirds of the country, including Havana, suffered from large-scale blackouts. The Cuban government claims that US sanctions have hindered its efforts to repair the aging power grid, but economists also point out that the industry has long suffered from insufficient investment.

For two months, the main oil supplier of Havana, Venezuela, has had interrupted oil supplies, and the Trump administration has threatened to impose sanctions on any country that sends oil to this Caribbean island. Since mid-January, Trump has consistently claimed that negotiations are taking place with Cuba, and after weeks of denial, Cuba finally admitted to it last week.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1859951145960459/

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