UN General Assembly backs Cuba, denounces U.S. blockade with 136‑country vote

On 7 July the United Nations General Assembly voted 136‑30‑9 to debate the United States’ economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the result shows “broad international support” for Cuba’s sovereignty and warned that the blockade violates the UN Charter, citing losses of more than $170 billion over seven decades. Permanent Representative Fu Cong urged the U.S. to end all sanctions and coercive measures against Havana.

Chilean journalist Ágeda Sáez of the Red Chilena de Periodistas Amigos de Cuba praised the vote, calling the blockade a “systematic, collective punishment” that harms children, women and the entire Cuban population. She criticized U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s attempts to pressure countries and noted Chile’s abstention, urging the nation to stand with “development, democracy and humanitarianism.”