Virgina Gov. Terry McAuliffe Visits Cuba
HAVANA TIMES —Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe began on Sunday an official visit to Cuba. He is the fourth leader of a US state to do so since Washington and Havana announced their diplomatic approach just over a year ago.
McAuliffe met in Havana with the Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca, reported dpa news. The governor also participated in the opening of a bilateral business forum.
McAuliffe, of the Democratic Party, called for the lifting of the US embargo on the island. The economic and trade sanctions that the US imposed on the socialist island from the early 60s are the main obstacle to full normalization of relations between the two countries.
The other US governors to travel to Cuba in the last year were Democrat Andrew Cuomo (New York) and Asa Hutchinson (Arkansas) and Gregg Abbott (Texas) both Republicans.
Like Arkansas and Texas, Virginia has an important agricultural industry. Cuba imports much of its food due to its low farm production.
The possible lifting of the embargo is one of the most complex steps for the Obama administration in his approach to Cuba. The president recently again asked the US Congress to end the sanctions, which he cannot remove unilaterally by executive power. Nonetheless, he has weakened some peripheral aspects of the embargo.
Your naivete is profound. Some of the richest men in the world are Chinese, including Jack Ma, Li Hijun. Thus type of wealth accumulation is hardly a “communist” trait. The Chinese government is “communist” in name only. They are actually an oligarchy controlled by elite Chinese families of party leaders. Indeed this mirrors the traditional style of business in Chiba which is still profoundly done by families. Who you are related to is a cultural part of doing business in china. This simplistic naive world view you have should really be rethought. Those Chinese businessmen who ha d disappeared posed a threat to the ruling class, including I might add a slew of recently disappeared journalists from a Hong Kong news paper that’s critical of the Chinese leadership a d was about to publish some type of expose. Hardly a democratic virtue .
As far as Castro’s drug connection perhaps you should read excerpts from Fidel’s former body guard Juan Reinaldo. Here is a link to an old story in the New York Post http://nypost.com/2015/05/03/former-bodyguard-unmasks-fidel-castros-corrupt-double-life/
Kennedy, you seem to forget that outside of Cuba we are free to access news and information. Your Bull Sh1t does not stand up to scrutiny.
General Ochoa was running the drug smuggling operation under the direction of Raul and with Fidel’s full knowledge & approval. When the Americans found out, they hung Ochoa out to dry, standard practice for ruthless gangsters.
I am not particularly pleased and happy about the new relationship because the modus operandi of America has not changed. America is still hell bent on destroying the Revolution. The Cuban Intelligence will have to be more alert for not all Americans would be bonafide tourists. America is going to infiltrtate a lot of CIA personnel into the island to work hand in glove with the few dissidents living on the island. Brother Griffin, I totally disagree with you about China not being Communist! Of course, China has allowed some foreign investment into t6he country, but they have impiimented some very strict rules to eradicate the corruptive influences associated with capitalism. Dont you see how many CEO’s have been executed or have committed suicide rather than face trial? It is not rampant capitalism with all its associated ills. Foreign investment yes!! But with control mechanisms. Cuba can do the same and Cuba will ensure that those controls are implimented. I wish to draw to your attention to the case of a decorated soldier who fought in Angola to liberate the country from the Apartheid South Africa and who mistakenly believed that he could operate a drugs farm in Cuba as a means of helping the country. Some how, the Americans got wind of it and, instead of informing the Government of Cuba about it, began using their intelligence as propaganda, accusing Cuba of being involved in the lucrative drug trade. The Cuban Government began making investigations inside the country to find out what the Americans were referring to, because Cuba has intercepted many sailing vessels with drugs and turned them over to the United States. The Soldier was caught and tried. He pleaded guilty and apologised to the leaders of the country and the comrades for bringing disgrace on himself and for tarnishing the reputation of the Revolution. He was executed! The same America which was using the drug activities of this soldier as propaganda, turned around and accused Fidel Castro of executing the soldier because he was afraid of his popularity. Do you see why America is so corrupt? It does not stand for principles!! That is why it is losing respect around the world!!! This is why strict penalties have to be implimented when foreign investment is allowed to operate in the Socialist Countries…
The US imposed an embargo on China after Mao seized power in 1949. The embargo lasted until the 1970’s when China agreed to negotiate the outstanding property issues eight the US.
In comparison to Cuba, US citizens’ property in China was a small fraction of what Americans owned in Cuba.
Today, China no longer operates under a communist system. Their political system remains a single party dictatorship, still nominally called “Communist”, under the domination of the military, but the governing principles and policy goals have changed. The Chinese economic system is now a state-corporate form of capitalism with strong ties to senior party members & the military. In other words, China is now a Fascist military dictatorship.
If you have read Raul’s speeches and watched the frequent visits to Cuba by officials from China, it is perfectly clear that this is the model Cuba is now moving towards: state-corporate economy, under the direction of a single party dictatorship and dominated by the military.
It’s Cuban fascism and the US seems eager to help them. The thing I find appalling is that all these erstwhile Castro apologists and admirers of the Cuban Revolution are applauding the change in Cuban-US relations. Don’t you see what’s happening?
Small reminder: Havana Times is about Cuba.
I suspect that you are more right than not. Although there has got to be qilite a few better potential customers for these governors than a poor Caribbean country of 11 million people with the purchasing power of a large county in the US and among the world’s worst credit history.
These hapless governors are looking to drum up business for their states. What they find is a corrupt military dictatorship insisting they control everything. They discover there is no such thing as a true private sector in Cuba, as every deal must go through the Castro regime. And for some reason, Cuba has cut way back on imports from the US. Little actual business is to be found. Is this an attempt at twisting the arms of these governors? Probably, and it works, as they dutifully call for the end of the US embargo.
Moses, Let me remind you again that Communist China has bought up a large percentage of American stocks and bonds. Communist China also has huge investments in the great America apart from the stocks and bonds. Cuban Communism is no different to RED CHINA’S Communism? Do you detect the hypocrisy of the United States of America? Trading with Communist China, but decrying Cuba for its Socialist development and doctrine? Failing in its efforts to lift the illegal embargo imposed upon the island almost 50 years with the sole intention of destroying the 1959 Cuban Revolution. It is this double standard foreign policy which causes America to be hated and distrusted. It does not take a Principled Stand on anything. How can people trust the word of such a country? How can people respect a country which does not abide by its word? This is a brand New Year and the UNITED STATES of AMERICA needs to change is Foreign Policy stance. Let its word be its bond!!. Let it stand up for, or to its Principles if it has any?
Despite the cavalcade of US politicians anxious to visit Cuba for the photo-op, it remains unlikely that a Republican Congress will be willing to give a Communist Castro dictatorship the brass ring they crave. For Mc Auliffe and other politicos, a trip to Cuba offers an opportunity to appear statesman-like. There was a time when US politicians traveled behind the “Iron Curtain” for the same reasons. Before that it was the African continent. After WWII, the must-have photo-op was war-torn Europe. Cuba is simply the post-crisis du jour.