How far is China willing to go to help Cuba in face of increasing US pressure?
The Trump administration has turned the spotlight onto Havana after the abduction of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro
Havana is also heavily reliant on subsidised Venezuelan oil and is likely to become increasingly vulnerable if Trump’s administration gains greater control of that supply.
On Thursday, Trump told The New York Times that he expected the US to be running Venezuela and extracting oil from its huge reserves for years.
Any US action against Cuba would not “necessarily be a military operation”, according to Jiang Shixue, director of the Centre for Latin American Studies at Shanghai University.
“However, in other respects, such as through more severe sanctions, the US could still exert pressure on Cuba and once Venezuela cuts off its oil supply, Cuba’s economic situation would deteriorate further,” Jiang said.
Cuba, an island of fewer than 10 million people, is only 145km (90 miles) south of Florida and has been subject to a US economic blockade since the early 1960s.