China reaffirms support for Cuba's sovereignty, opposes foreign interference: spokesman

China firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its sovereignty, while opposing any interference from external forces that targets the country, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

Guo made the remarks in response to a question about the Cuban foreign minister's condemnation of the United States for prosecuting Cuban Revolution leader Raul Castro.

"China always firmly opposes illegal unilateral sanctions with no basis in international law and without UN Security Council authorization, opposes the abuse of judicial measures, and rejects external forces exerting pressure on Cuba under any pretext," said Guo

"The U.S. side should stop wielding sanctions and judicial tools against Cuba, and stop resorting to threats of force. China firmly supports Cuba in upholding national sovereignty and dignity and opposes external interference," said the spokesman.

President of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini arrived in Beijing Monday afternoon to begin his three-day state visit to China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.

This is President Pellegrini's first visit to China since he took office. According to a previous announcement by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Xi will hold talks with Pellegrini to jointly chart a blueprint for the future development of China-Slovakia relations and exchange in-depth views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern.

Slovakia is China's important cooperation partner in Europe. The two countries have always treated each other with mutual respect and equality, and their traditional friendship has stood the test of time. In recent years, the two sides have achieved fruitful cooperation in fields of economy and trade, people-to-people exchanges, infrastructure, and green development, continuously enhancing the well-being of their people.