China, Cuba sign agreements to expand economic, trade ties

China and Cuba on Wednesday signed five cooperation and legal agreements, which reaffirm the willingness of both nations to strengthen and expand their economic and trade relations.

According to local media, Rodrigo Malmierca, Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, and Chen Xi, the Chinese ambassador to Cuba, signed the documents, including a donation of one million U.S. dollars by the Chinese government to help the recovery of areas affected by Hurricane Irma.

Both nations also formalized a new credit line granted by China to remodel and modernize Cuba's electronic industry.

The Cuban official said these new agreements are a sign of the "friendship and brotherhood" between China and Cuba.

"The accords are aimed at supporting the process of recovery of the damages caused by Hurricane Irma. China was one of the first nations to express its condolences and willingness to help," added Malmierca.

Both sides signed a record of delivery and receipt of emergency humanitarian aid granted by China, consisting of relief materials such as tents, generators, mattresses, blankets, water pumps, and lighting, among others.

Chen said these new legal documents and agreements are a "testimony of the existing friendly relations between the two countries."

"Immediately after the impact of the hurricane, the Chinese government prepared a humanitarian aid package aimed at helping Cuba succeed in its recovery," he added.

In 2016, China became Cuba's biggest commercial partner with bilateral trade reaching 2.5 billion U.S. dollars, according to the Cuban Bureau of Statistics and Information.