BEIJING (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, Washington extended trade restrictions valid since 1960 for another 12 months.
"We hope that the United States would completely remove economic blockade imposed on Cuba as soon as possible to meet aspirations of the international community," Wang told journalists ahead of the trip of Prime Minister Li Keqiang to Cuba.
Li who will visit Cuba after participating in the session of the UN General Assembly on September 18-28 is expected to promote bilateral contacts on the high level and to sign a number of trade deals, according to the Chinese diplomat.
"We have high expectations for this visit. We hope that it will help us to deepen coordination and to find ways to bring forward our bilateral relations," Wang added.
In December 2014, Obama announced the United States would normalize relations with Cuba after more than 50 years of non-engagement and hostilities. While the two countries reopened embassies in their respective capitals in July 2015, the congressionally-mandated US trade embargo continues to remain in effect.
