721
Cuba receives 15,000-tonne shipment of rice donated by China (www.scmp.com)
submitted 1 week ago by stumu415@lemmy.zip to c/world@lemmy.world
47 comments fedilink hide all child comments
top 47 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] SirEDCaLot@lemmy.today 122 points 6 days ago

This is genius.

Cuba's population is about 10.9 million. That means, if my math is right, this shipment has about 2.75 lbs of rice per Cuban citizen. That's a LOT of rice- about 10-12 servings per person. And there's another 3 similar shipments coming.

This is not some useless token, this is a 'feed the country for a week or two' type gift.

You can bet your sweet ass that neither the people nor the government of Cuba are likely to forget this anytime soon. The 'gentle giant' USA is choking them, China feeds them. It's a powerful message.

Of course it's China so there's always a price eventually. I suspect Beijing's goal here is additional influence within Cuba, and I don't see any reason why Cuba would have any objection. A few boatloads of rice gets you a LOT of good will in a starving country.

[-] FlyingCircus@lemmy.world 49 points 6 days ago

China’s price for foreign aid is almost always lower than Western capitalists’. It’s why their belts and roads initiative and BRICS have been so insanely successful.

[-] SirEDCaLot@lemmy.today 21 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

More usefully- their price will likely be something Cuba is happy to do. IE, access to sell Chinese goods in Cuba? Hell yes bring them in bring our people up to modern standards. Set up a base somewhere? Of course Cuba is neutral between US and China, we lease space to US we can lease space to China too. China becomes Cuba's primary trade partner? Hell yes sign us up US sure isn't trading with us...

And let's not forget China is already selling Cuba a ton of solar power tech. For a nation like Cuba that's a godsend, because it reduces their reliance on foreign oil.

[-] lechekaflan@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

access to sell Chinese goods in Cuba?

Not just. ~~Persuade Nicaragua again to build a new shipping canal wider than Panama.~~ Ortega wants China to fund his megaproject.

[-] NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca 14 points 5 days ago

There’s always a price, but that’s true whether the donation comes from China, the US, or most other world powers.

My family is from the Caribbean. They seem to feel that it’s better to work with China or India on infrastructure, as they help with building and get paid back via ownership or land leases. Working with the US is difficult, as it’s hard for a nation with little access to USD to be able pay back a loan - they basically get blamed for being poor despite the US having performed the ultimate grift in making their dollar the global currency.

[-] SirEDCaLot@lemmy.today 2 points 5 days ago

Working with the US has made even more difficult by the fact that the US seems determined to keep them under embargo, even though it's seriously questionable whether the embargo serves any useful purpose anymore. So even if they wanted to work with the US it would probably involve a bunch of useless ass kissing and we probably make the oil refineries back.

Bottom line it's an awful lot of harm for not very much. Should have been ended decades ago

[-] MyVeryRealName@lemmy.world 16 points 5 days ago

Gentle giant? The United States is a capitalist enemy.

[-] khaleer@sopuli.xyz 26 points 5 days ago

That's sarcasm.

[-] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 14 points 6 days ago

Indeed and right in the backyard of the USA. The Batista supporters in the US can go f-themselves for screwing over their own people.

[-] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Of course it’s China so there’s always a price eventually. I suspect Beijing’s goal here is additional influence within Cuba, and I don’t see any reason why Cuba would have any objection. A few boatloads of rice gets you a LOT of good will in a starving country.

With a collossal oppressive empire like the US at their doorstep demanding full submission, the Cubans are likely very happy to have any alternative. At least Chinese agreements usually benefit both sides instead of "surrender your country or we will kidnap your president".

[-] Tiral@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

I think it's more of a way to keep people in line and oppressed. The government is already insanely impressive and now you want food? Well you better stay in line.

If China actually cared they'd send agriculture equipment so they can produce their own food for sustainability. But they don't want that, they want to keep them sucking the teet every month. If you don't, well the last shipment might just be late....

[-] FlyingCircus@lemmy.world 32 points 6 days ago

Cuba doesn’t need agricultural equipment, it needs oil, which the US is preventing it from getting. Since China doesn’t have oil, it is massively building out Cuba’s solar capacity. In the meantime, they are delivering life-sustaining shipments of food.

You seem to be very misinformed about which governments are helping the Cuban people, and which are harming. Cuba wouldn’t need any of this help without US sanctions.

(And ironically, the situation you are describing aligns almost precisely with how USAID functioned before Trump destroyed it.)

[-] SirEDCaLot@lemmy.today 10 points 5 days ago

This exactly. Cuba has cars and farm equipment but it doesn't have the fuel to run them.

The solar tech China is sending Cuba will probably be their most valuable trade. Every bit of Cuba that no longer relies on US-controlled foreign oil is a godsend to Cuba. A car that charges on solar power is energy independence for them.
(would be for the US too but we're not under sanctions and we've got enough gas to ignore that small truth).

[-] Furbag@pawb.social 20 points 6 days ago

People who are starving right now due to economic terrorism can't wait for next season's harvest to eat.

[-] SirEDCaLot@lemmy.today 17 points 5 days ago

China could send basically a 'farm in a box' (equipment, seeds, fertilizer, instructions) and even if it was wildly successful you don't get food out of that for 3-12 months. Cuba needs food NOW.

Cuba also needs energy a lot more than farm equipment...

[-] Strawberry 17 points 6 days ago

They have agricultural equipment already. They can't operate it because the US is blockading oil shipments.

[-] Danarchy@lemmy.nz 145 points 6 days ago

If you collect a paycheck you are on the same side as the people this shipment is meant to feed.

[-] Brummbaer@pawb.social 66 points 6 days ago

States spend a lot of energy to keep people from realising this.

[-] spongebue@lemmy.world 130 points 6 days ago

To help quantify, that's a little under 3 pounds (1.3kg) per person, assuming perfectly equal distribution.

[-] khannie@lemmy.world 70 points 6 days ago

That's surprisingly decent. Fair play to them.

[-] comrade_twisty@feddit.org 26 points 6 days ago

Decency - the polar opposite of Trumps behaviour

[-] FenrirIII@lemmy.world 23 points 6 days ago

It's also politically advantageous for China

[-] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 43 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

In all fairness, helping Cubans against the Trump administration would be politically advantageous for everybody in the World but those Far-Right politicians getting money from American billionaires.

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 6 points 6 days ago

Honestly, it's in their favor too. Cuba is incredibly close to the US. They'd be a valuable trade partner, if nothing else. This shit is in no one's favor.

[-] Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 5 points 5 days ago

What and let an alternative to capitalism exist right off America's coast? One that managed to achieve a longer life expectancy and all sorts of medical breakthroughs despite the blockade?

[-] bold_atlas@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Considering their rival is the USA, literally doing nothing is also politically advantageous for China.

[-] trbleclef@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Ya think?

[-] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 38 points 6 days ago

Send Cuba more solar panels and electric vehicles!

[-] spacesatan@lazysoci.al 19 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

I'm so distracted by the 50kg sacks of rice. That seems like such a pain in the ass size to deal with compared to 20-30 kg for seemingly no reason. I think that's too large to even fit neatly on standard sized pallets so I don't think you're even saving volume.

And then it seems like way too much for end distribution unless it's going to a community kitchen.

[-] fibojoly@sh.itjust.works 9 points 5 days ago

If my wife could order those 50kg bags, she would. But I made her carry the last 25kg she ordered so I think she got the message. 50kg is indeed pushing it.

[-] Tiral@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago

Because all they'll do it cut the bag, then have everyone walk to wherever with a bowl and get a scoop every day. They won't just be giving homes 50kg bags and saying "good luck", like you said that's a lot of logistics. Also it's about control, if you need to get it every day it can be revoked if you aren't aligned with the government. If they just drop off a 50kg bag, well now you've got a food supply stockpiled and you're more likely to protest/rebel.

[-] FlyingCircus@lemmy.world 29 points 6 days ago

Kinda wild how you’re hypothesizing about the Cuban government rationing food based on ideology when the US is literally doing exactly that with the explicit goal of creating as much misery as possible.

Relevant detail: in the last 50 years the US has murdered 38 million people through the use of economic sanctions on its ideological enemies.

[-] dipcart@lemmy.world 16 points 6 days ago

Besides all the political and moral issues and all that, I'm super curious to see how a massive influx of rice into Cuba in a time of starvation will affect their cuisine. Lots of interesting cultural foods come from periods of adapting new sources of nutrition into an existing cuisine. Obviously they already have access to rice, but I wonder how they will adapt to doing their best with eating mainly rice for some time.

[-] 7rokhym@lemmy.ca 18 points 6 days ago

Rice and beans are a staple in LATAM. Also a perfect protein.

[-] Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org 30 points 6 days ago

We let it through? I'm shocked.

[-] betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world 19 points 6 days ago

Yes, rice is not oil.

[-] sudo@lemmy.today 8 points 6 days ago

Also it isn't preventing Israel from starving children, so A-OK

[-] bold_atlas@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Cuba really needs to speed run a nuclear weapons program.

[-] wpb@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago

BuT at WhAt CoSt?

[-] lechekaflan@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Unsurprisingly making Central and South America slowly pivot to the Middle Kingdom is an ongoing project, as Agent Krasnov in the Oval Office destroyed USAID and screws the UN, turns El "Salvador" into a supersized concentration camp.

On the way to checkmate in 2049.

[-] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

USAID is still doing what it has always done. Spends money on propaganda in foreign countries to topple their government. https://www.mintpressnews.com/revealed-usaid-ned-open-society-quietly-bankroll-cubas-independent-media-in-push-for-regime-change/290942/

[-] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 1 points 5 days ago

Well these seem to be old USAID grants, from 2025 and before, so I'm not sure USAID itself is actively doing it anymore. Their old beneficiaries certainly are. But the actual goodwill programs were always more useful than any other form of propaganda. Tell someone their government is bad or feed them when their own government fails to - which one is more likely to change hearts?

[-] Droopy@programming.dev 11 points 1 week ago

Like chyna so mean... The united NATO powers are crushing baby skulls.

[-] anon_8675309@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

It was really 500 tonnes. The rest was drone parts hidden inside.

[-] garbage_world@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

Your source being?

[-] anon_8675309@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

My source is sarcasm.

[-] Tolc@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

I hope youre right

this post was submitted on 25 May 2026
721 points (100.0% liked)

World News

56312 readers
1617 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.

Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world

Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
NewsAutoMod@lemmy.world
Tenthrow@lemmy.world
little_cow@lemmy.world
lemmyAtom@lemmy.world
jordanlund@lemmy.world