China Sends Rice to Cuba as US Sanctions Bite

China has begun emergency food deliveries to Cuba, aiming to ease severe shortages worsened by U.S. sanctions. The first shipment of rice arrived this week under a new aid program. According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, the program will send 30,000 tonnes of rice in total. Officials handed over the initial delivery on Monday. A second batch has already reached Cuba's Port of Santiago. More shipments are scheduled to leave China soon. Cuba is struggling with major shortages of food and fuel. These problems intensified after the United States tightened its long-standing trade embargo. The stricter U.S. measures have severely disrupted crucial oil shipments from Venezuela, Cuba's key ally.