By Eliane Portillo

Cuba and China agreed on Tuesday to work on their economic bilateral agenda for 2012-2016, on the basis of complementing each other, asserted Ricardo Cabrisas, vice-president of the Council of Ministers, in Beijing

This decision highlights the strategic nature of the relationship between the two countries, which was validated at the 24th session of the Intergovernmental Commission chaired by Cabrisas and Chen Deming, Minister of Trade of the Asian nation, the news agency reported.  The Cuban official underlined the importance of this step in bilateral relations, in the face of the difficult international economic situation in which, we have witnessed how the so-called educated and civilized peoples repress their indignant citizens in order to save bankers.

During the session, the two parties stressed that the recent creation of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) marked a watershed in the process of political harmonizing and regional integration, while the Cuban delegation ratified its support for the Chinese strategy of increasing its ties with these areas.

Important results were obtained in the field of bilateral relations in 2011, Cabrisas pointed out, and cited as an example the visit to Cuba of Chinese vice-president Xi Jinping in June, when political dialogue at the highest level was consolidated and 16 agreements were signed.

Cabrisas arrived in Beijing on an official visit on December 25 and, after heading his country’s delegation to the meeting of the Sino-Cuban Intergovernmental Commission for economic and commercial relations, he will meet with other Chinese authorities.