Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel touched down in North Korea on November 4 for a state visit – the first since the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro visited Pyongyang in 1986. Díaz-Canel received a warm welcome in Pyongyang.
Interviewed by opinion.haiwainet.cn, Guo Rui, a professor of international politics at Jilin University, said Cuba and North Korea had a long tradition of political friendship. They were already allies in the Cold War, the end of which saw their bond only strengthen. As two socialist states suffering US sanctions, they often expressed a wish to join hands economically to oppose sanctions. In 2015 and 2016, their respective governments signed a protocol to develop economic and scientific cooperation.
Through several visits to China and the Singapore summit, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has created new diplomatic opportunities, while also expressing his wish to develop his country’s economy. It is the international community’s loosening of pressure on North Korea that prompted the Cuban leader’s visit, Guo argues.
After Donald Trump became US President, he tightened the nation's Cuba policy and put more pressure on the country. The North Korea visit demonstrates Cuba is trying to break through and improve the external environment. The two countries’ objectives align to an extent, Guo adds, which is why Díaz-Canel was welcomed warmly.
But the US is concerned. In late 2017, the Washington Post published an article warning the alliance must not be underestimated, even though their economic exchanges are limited. And a former US Treasury official even said the US should warn Cuba it was dangerous to team up with North Korea. The superpower appears unwilling to see either of them develop normal ties with other countries.
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