As Trump ramps up pressure on Cuba, China has ‘very limited options’

2026.03.18 12:20 Cuba scrambled to restore power on Monday after a nationwide blackout that hit the communist-run island just as US President Donald Trump said he expected to take it over. Photo: AFP As Washington steps up rhetoric and pressure on Cuba after its campaign in Iran, Beijing finds itself torn between geopolitical reality and ideological affinity. According to analysts, Beijing has few good options to counter US hegemony in Washington’s own backyard, and its response is likely to be constrained to diplomatic opposition and modest humanitarian aid. They said any disruption to global stability ultimately harmed Beijing’s interests and did not see prolonged US military action creating a window of opportunity for China. US President Donald Trump on Monday said he expected to have “the honour of taking Cuba”, after a tightening US oil squeeze contributed to widespread blackouts across the island. “All my life I’ve been hearing about the United States and Cuba. When will the United States do it?” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding he could do “anything I want” with Cuba. In an apparent escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against the long-time adversary, The New York Times reported shortly after Trump’s remarks that US officials had recently told Havana it should remove President Miguel Diaz-Canel. Cuba, the only socialist state in the western hemisphere, has been under US economic sanctions since the early 1960s. Pressure has intensified in recent months after Washington abducted former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and moved to choke off oil flows from Caracas, historically Havana’s largest energy supplier. Last year, Venezuela supplied about 26,500 barrels of oil per day to Cuba – roughly a third of the 100,000 barrels needed to sustain its electricity grid and transport system. The disruption has strained the island’s already fragile infrastructure, contributing to severe power shortages. Beijing has long had a policy of non-interfe

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