Beijing vows to hit back and demands Washington swiftly correct its ‘wrongdoings’ over Cuba-linked sanctions on Chinese firms

Beijing vowed to hit back against US sanctions on Chinese companies¹ and warned of a response to the measures against firms over alleged Cuba links³. China urged the US to correct its “wrongdoings” swiftly² and to fix its “wrongful practices as soon as possible”⁶.

China aired serious concern over the sanctions ahead of a planned meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump at APEC⁶. Beijing raised those concerns in a video call on Friday with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer⁷. Beijing also said it opposes what it called Washington’s “sabotage” of Cuba⁸.

The dispute stems from a US move on 5 November that added 10 targets to its Cuba sanctions list, including elites, an oil tanker network and Chinese firms¹⁰.

Why it matters to investors

The clash puts a third-country sanctions issue at the center of US-China trade diplomacy. The US has urged China to honour its trade commitments ahead of a possible Trump-Xi meeting⁵, and Bessent and Greer pressed that case with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng⁹. The two sides held “frank” exchanges, by Beijing’s account⁶.

Washington describes the sanctions as targeting alleged military supplies to Cuba⁴. It frames the action as part of the Trump Administration’s “comprehensive push to end the Cuban regime’s malign activities, both in Cuba and across our hemisphere”². That is the US government’s characterization; China disputes the basis for the measures^2,3.

The sanctions affect two Chinese firms⁵. Their reach is wider than the companies named: the expanded measures cover foreign companies doing business in Cuba¹, which raises the compliance stakes for any firm with exposure to the island.

What to watch

The form of any Chinese response is the key unknown. Beijing has vowed to hit back¹ and warned of a response³ but has not, in the coverage at hand, said what that response will be.

The APEC meeting is the next test. China raised serious concern over the sanctions ahead of the Xi-Trump encounter⁶, and the US wants China to deliver on its trade commitments^5,9.

Washington’s next move on Cuba also matters. The US has already widened its list of targets¹⁰, and further additions involving Chinese companies would test the trade relationship again^4,8.