US sanctions Chinese firms over alleged military supplies to Cuba

The United States has imposed sanctions on two Chinese companies it accuses of supplying equipment and components to Cuba's military, as Washington intensifies pressure on Havana's foreign suppliers and expands its authority to target businesses operating on the island.

The US State Department said on Thursday that China National Electronic Import and Export Company, or CEIEC, and Beijing H&C Technologies had worked with Cuban arms procurement company Sociedad Mercantil Duna to supply military-related goods in 2026.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba's foreign backers supplied military equipment that sustained its armed forces and enabled repression. He also accused Havana of serving as a "staging ground for a global coalition of hostile anti-American actors to threaten, spy on, and plot against the United States and its interests".