News

The Cuban pharmaceutical industry hopes to export more than US $180 million in products this year and add 40 million more in 2009, announced sources from the Farmacuba marketing enterprise. The island sells medicines to more than 40 countries, reported IPS.

President Hu Jintao visited Chinese Spanish language students studying on the outskirts of Havana on Tuesday. He was accompanied by his host President Raul Castro. Hu met earlier in the day with former Cuban President Fidel Castro.

Cuba and China signed new cooperation agreements in fields including seismology, port rehabilitation and the sale of sugar and nickel at the close of the 21st Intergovernmental Commission meeting held in the island’s capital. Bilateral trade surpassed 2.6 billion dollars in 2007, only surpassed by the Caribbean country’s trade with Venezuela.

Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Havana Monday night to begin an official 2-day visit. He is accompanied by Commerce Minister Chen Deming and a large number of business executives.

US President-elect Barack Obama said Sunday that he wants to close down the prison camp located in the Guantanamo Naval Base, where some 255 prisoners are sill incarcerated under harsh conditions.

The measure is part of Obama’s stated goal to shore up the poor international image of the United States, increasingly deteriorated during the two-term Bush presidency.

Obama made the statement on the CBS program “60 minutes”, but made no reference to closing the base itself, located on usurped Cuban territory.

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Cuba reached two million tourists for 2008 on Friday and expects to surpass the record of 2.3 million visitors set in 2005. First Deputy Minister of Tourism Alexis Trujillo headed the welcoming party at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport for the group of visitors that completed the milestone. While the US blockade prohibits its citizens from traveling to Cuba, the island receives large numbers of Canadians and Europeans.

Chinese President Hu Jintao is expected in Havana on Monday to begin an important two-day visit after attending the G-20 Summit on the global financial crisis in Washington. China is Cuba’s second leading trade partner after Venezuela.

The film “Che”, by US filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, will be shown in a special presentation during the upcoming 30th Havana Film Festival to be held in the Cuban capital from December 2-12, affirmed Ivan Giroud, the event’s director.

Russian President Dimitri Medvedev will visit Cuba on November 27, announced the Kremlin’s press service. The trip to Cuba forms part of a Latin American tour that will also include Venezuela and Brazil.