Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said it was time for a new direction in relations with Cuba, during a landmark visit to the Americas’ lone communist-ruled state. During the first visit by a Chinese premier since the two countries established diplomatic relations 56 years ago Li pledged to “inject a new dynamic in (bilateral) relations,” Cuban state media reported. Li met with President Raul Castro at the Palace of the Revolution, with the two communist countries signing about 30 co-operation agreements in a wide range of areas, including a protocol cancelling Cuban debts and four loan deals for projects on the island, according to local television.
Cuba’s President Raul Castro shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during their meeting at Havana’s Revolution Palace, Cuba.