At the UN General Assembly, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said the sovereignty and security of Middle Eastern countries, including Gulf states, should be respected, and urged an unnamed country to stop threatening Cuba and lift its blockade and sanctions.
Han did not name the United States. His remarks followed President Donald Trump's warning to Xi Jinping against supporting Iran; the U.S. ambassador to China said Friday that Xi assured Trump Beijing would not. That warning followed reports that Beijing had supplied Iran with shoulder-fired air-defense launchers and that Tehran had found ways to evade oil-sale sanctions with Chinese help.
Cuba's electrical grid suffered a total collapse earlier this month, leaving millions without power. A U.S.-imposed oil blockade that began in January has worsened blackouts and led to frequent grid collapses, while fuel shortages and decrepit infrastructure had strained the aging power system for years.
