Preface to Updating the Cuban Socialist Model: A Path Toward Prosperous, Democratic, and Sustainable Development
Editor’s Note: Since the beginning of the 21st century, following the historical trials of the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the drastic changes in Eastern Europe, Cuban socialism has entered a new historical stage of independently exploring the updating of its socialist model. In Updating the Cuban Socialist Model: A Path Toward Prosperity, Democracy, and Sustainability (2024), Research Fellow He Qin of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) systematically discusses the top-level design and institutional construction of the Cuban model’s update by tracing its historical process. The book further conducts specialized research on issues such as housing, population aging, and environmental governance in Cuba. The following text is the preface written for the book by Carlos Miguel Pereira Hernández, former Cuban Ambassador to China and current Director General of Bilateral Affairs at the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
I first met Research Fellow He Qin in April 2010 during a visit to the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies. At that time, we were still celebrating the half-century mark of the victory of the Cuban Revolution; more than a decade has passed since then. During that visit, He Qin participated in our exchange as an interpreter for the Institute. In May 2010, she published the results of our exchange in the Chinese Social Sciences Today (中国社会科学报) in the form of an interview. The article, titled "Socialism is Moving Forward and Will Absolutely Not Change—An Interview with Cuban Ambassador to China Pereira," summarized the historical significance and particularities of the Cuban Revolution, as well as the achievements and challenges of Cuban socialism, especially those facing Cuban Marxism and socialism. This pioneering work enhanced the understanding and awareness of Cuban socialism among Chinese scholars and readers.
As Research Fellow He Qin’s new book describes, the process of building socialism in Cuba is inseparable from the historic victory of the Cuban Revolution, the leadership of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, and the historical subject role [1] of the Communist Party of Cuba and the Cuban people. The Cuban Revolution possesses a historical particularity distinct from other socialist experiences. The Cuban Revolution is a "heroic creation." For over sixty years, in the face of the severe blockade and various forms of warfare imposed by the United States, Cuba has not only realized but also consolidated its national sovereignty and independence.
Updating the Cuban Socialist Model: A Path Toward Prosperity, Democracy, and Sustainability is the result of He Qin’s years of systematic and in-depth research. With her rich academic experience and a rigorous, objective scholarly attitude, she provides readers with a panoramic presentation of the development of the Cuban model’s update. This will help a new generation of Chinese readers deepen their understanding of socialism with Cuban characteristics.
Across nine chapters, including the conclusion, the author elaborates on the developmental trajectory of the Cuban Revolution, the evolution of the thoughts of Cuban leaders and their theoretical contributions, the formation of the Cuban conception of socialism and its core nature of solidarity, and the milestones of Cuban socialist development.
Due to its profound anti-imperialist revolutionary tradition and Cuban cultural traits, the process of building Cuban socialism has formed a deep indigenous model whose feasibility and importance have been fully proven over time. Cuba represents a concrete experience of building socialism in the 20th and 21st centuries. Cuban socialism coexists with different rules of international hegemony, the evolution of global imperialism, and the rules of the struggle for world hegemony.
As the Brazilian anthropologist Darcy Ribeiro noted, Cuba is a "New Nation," a country emerging from a mixture of different cultures. Therefore, Cuba differs from China in that Cuban culture has a history of only about two hundred years, yet this brief history is profound. Simultaneously with Cuba becoming a nation-state, the United States—a capitalist country only 90 miles from its shores—became an imperialist power. For Cuban revolutionaries of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was essential to observe, denounce, and confront this fact: with the independence of Cuba, it was necessary to promptly block US expansion on American [2] soil. This is a central theme running through Cuban history.
As Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution, stated, Cuban socialism is the historical result of Cuba’s tireless struggle to achieve national independence, state sovereignty, and maximum social justice. The existence of an independent state just dozens of miles from the United States is something the US government can never accept; consequently, the construction of Cuba’s economic, political, and social model has always faced hostility and interference from the US government.
In 1892, Martí founded the Cuban Revolutionary Party (PRC) aimed at uniting all Cubans to struggle for liberation from Spanish colonial rule and achieve national emancipation. As this Cuban national hero stated, government must adapt to the conditions of the country. Thus, Martí established four fundamental goals early on: achieving national independence, social justice, economic development, and establishing Cuba's own democratic government.
As the Cuban intellectual Enrique Ubieta noted, colonialism made Cuba a nation-state, while neocolonialism sought to dilute Cuba's national identity. If Martí’s generation was anti-colonialist, then Fidel’s generation was profoundly anti-neocolonialist. Consequently, Martí is organically linked to the 1959 Cuban Revolution; the revolution is both socialist and a struggle for national liberation. This is also why the ideology of the Cuban Revolution originates from the thoughts of Marx, Lenin, Martí, and Fidel.
The victory of the Cuban Revolution in January 1959 not only meant the collapse of the pro-US military dictatorship but also marked the historical climax of the fusion of Cuban revolutionary, progressive, and independent thought. The Cuban Revolution was a product of Cuba's specific national conditions, rather than a result imposed from abroad. After proposing the Moncada Program and the goals of social justice, the Cuban Revolution radicalized further. In the face of US armed invasion, Cuba resolutely chose to follow the socialist path.
On April 16, 1961, at the funeral ceremony for the martyrs of the Battle of Playa Girón, Fidel Castro declared the socialist nature of the Cuban Revolution, thereby imparting an unprecedented symbolic significance to the Cuban socialist process and laying the foundation for Cuba to construct its own development model. From the beginning, Cuba accepted an insurmountable challenge: to confront the most powerful country in the world and transform a neocolonial, backward society deeply dependent on a powerful neighbor into a new independent, progressive, and just society.
The challenges faced by the Cuban Revolution are not static; they have become increasingly complex with the growing strength of imperialism and neoliberalism. Therefore, it is impossible to understand the development of world socialism and Cuban socialism in isolation from this historical logic. Without acknowledging the US blockade of Cuba, it is impossible to correctly judge the success or failure of the Cuban economic and social model. The US blockade of Cuba is the longest-lasting and most unjust unilateral sanction forcibly imposed on a sovereign state in modern human history.
According to the Geneva Conventions adopted in 1948, the US blockade of Cuba is a classic act of economic warfare and genocide. The Donald Trump administration imposed an unprecedentedly cruel blockade, preventing Cuba from obtaining essential medical equipment, other supplies, and technology during the pandemic, and also restricting Cuba's international cooperation. The blockade has been and remains a punishment for the resistance of the Cuban people—a daily means of hindering Cuban socialism from seeking growth, progress, and economic prosperity. Therefore, the objective problems facing Cuba must never be blamed on socialism. Socialism is the only reason that can explain why Cuba, the largest country in the Antilles, has been able to survive and continuously develop amidst a cruel blockade.
A significant contribution of this book lies in its explanation of the three distinctive characteristics of Cuban socialism. First is people’s democracy. The Cuban leadership and the Cuban people have always maintained a close connection. Cuba implements a systematic system of popular consultation and respects national consensus; thus, even in the most difficult and complex moments, the revolutionary regime continues to enjoy the support and trust of the vast majority of the Cuban people. Second is the social mission. The Cuban Revolution has always placed the people at the center of the country’s political process. Third is national unity. Faced with US expansion, Cuba must unite all revolutionary forces and the broad masses of the people to struggle for the defense of national independence and sovereignty.
The strategy of Cuban socialism lies in making the people the protagonists of advancing transformation and achieving prosperity. Prosperity concerns not only the accumulation of material wealth but, more importantly, the human resources that produce that wealth. Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, pointed out that promoting and maintaining social justice requires economic strength and resilience, which is an issue we must prioritize. The essence of Cuban socialism is the pursuit of social fairness and justice, realizing people-centered social transformation through continuous social mobilization. Consequently, Cuban socialism eradicated illiteracy early on, declared the implementation of free universal education, healthcare, and sports, eliminated epidemics, carried out large-scale vaccinations, implemented unprecedented land reform, and trained tens of thousands of medical personnel, including those cooperating with more than 90 countries and over one million Cuban medical students. It is precisely due to the socialist system that national policies such as health, education, scientific research, technological innovation, and environmental protection have been strengthened.
For over sixty years, important goals included in the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda—such as the right to life, education, decent employment, housing, self-determination, and culture—have become important pillars of Cuban socialism and the fundamental guarantee for continuously advancing the process of revolutionary update. Principles such as upholding the Party's leadership, the people-centered approach, socialist democracy, the socialist state, socialist public ownership of the basic means of production, socialist planning as the leading system for economic and social development, the defense and guarantee of national security, and the recognition of the equality of rights and obligations in a moral and legal sense have become the lifeline of the Cuban socialist model.
The construction of Cuban socialism is extremely arduous and full of challenges. Faced with the drastic changes of the times, Cuba had to make major adjustments to its socio-economic development within just a few decades. In the 1960s, the US blockade policy caused Cuba to lose its primary market. Thirty years later, with the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the socialist camp, Cuba again lost 80% of its market, and its GDP fell by 35%. In the 1990s, the US passage of the Torricelli Act and the Helms-Burton Act brought its blockade policy and economic persecution of Cuba to a historical peak. These acts attempted to block Cuba’s foreign trade and the participation of third-country enterprises in Cuba's socio-economic development through "long-arm jurisdiction."
In April 2011, the "Guidelines of the Economic and Social Policy of the Party and the Revolution," adopted by the Sixth National Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, laid the foundation for the update of the Cuban socialist model, marking the historical continuity and the beginning of a new stage of Cuban socialist construction. The update of the Cuban socialist model aims to improve the Cuban socialist model, expand direct, horizontal, and participatory people’s democracy, overcome the rigid hierarchy and bureaucratism in revolutionary practice, and create new space for people's unity based on diversity.
Consequently, the update of the Cuban model is not limited to the economic field; it also includes all daily practices and discussions and emphasizes the role of the new generation in shaping the country's future, thereby achieving the goal of building a prosperous, democratic, and sustainable socialist country. The update of the socialist model is regarded as the continuation and improvement of the historical transformation of the Cuban Revolution since January 1, 1959, aiming to ensure the unity and irreversibility of Cuban socialism, promote national economic development and the improvement of the people's living standards, and foster the formation of the moral and political values of Cuban citizens.
Martí pointed out that revolution is doing what needs to be done at every moment [7]. Fidel [8] supplemented this refined concept of revolution, maintaining that historical consciousness means changing everything that must be changed. Therefore, the update of the Cuban socialist model aims to respond to the urgent need to build an indigenous, original, innovative, profound, democratic, popular, and participatory socialism. This means facing major challenges, such as perfecting the system of distribution according to work, restructuring the financial and monetary order, and developing a socialist model with Cuban characteristics suited to our national conditions—creating and guaranteeing better employment, housing, healthcare, and education. In particular, it seeks to provide secure care for children and the elderly, provide basic goods and services to the public, and maintain and consolidate the Cuban people’s collective sense of belonging to the Cuban socialist political program, enabling the younger generation to make greater contributions to building a democratic and equitable society. It also means that, following the stable and orderly generational replacement in the Party and the state, Cuba must treat the building of the socialist system as one of the primary pillars of the Revolution, uniting the Cuban people around the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and the Party’s new generation of collective leadership. We must deepen democracy, dialogue, discussion, and collective consultation, making them irreplaceable tools for building consensus, exercising institutional functions, and overcoming informal decision-making.
Perfecting the Cuban economic and social model requires consolidating the vanguard role of the Communist Party of Cuba as the fundamental guarantee for the continuity of the Cuban Revolution; consolidating socialist democracy, the rule of law, and social justice led by the people; and consolidating the dominant position of the socialist public ownership of the basic means of production while recognizing and promoting the coexistence and development of diverse forms of ownership and management. It involves comprehensively reforming the planning system that guides economic and social development; devolving power to local governments and giving full play to the role of grassroots authorities; consolidating the dominant position of distribution according to work and upholding the socialist principle of distribution based on the quality, quantity, complexity, and social contribution of work; continuously improving socialist social policies to ensure their sustainability; and continuously refining the role of the state as economic manager, representative of ownership by the whole people, and representative of administrative organs at all levels, while further perfecting people's democratic participation at every level.
Currently, Cuban socialism must undergo an update of its economic structure to address the problems of irrational production structures and technological backwardness, especially the issues within production chains that lead to sluggish economic growth, low productivity, and a high dependence on imports. First, investment should be further expanded to promote the modernization and sustainable development of infrastructure, particularly in the fields of water conservancy, transport, logistics, housing, and communications. Second, the economic management system should be continuously improved to promote the development and complementarity of various economic actors, enabling them to contribute to sustainable development. Furthermore, seeking a more favorable and dynamic international integration is crucial for Cuba; this will help enhance the people’s well-being, promote economic and social development, and achieve a fairer and more rational distribution so that all people are protected and cared for.
That the Cuban Revolution has not committed any strategic errors does not mean there are no problems to be solved; these problems stem primarily from the external environment and economic mistakes. Although these issues will continue to seriously affect Cuba, it is certain that neither the hostile policies of the United States, the global economic crisis, the great pandemic, nor climate change can destroy the viability of Cuban socialism.
From both historical and contemporary perspectives, this book explores in depth the achievements, problems, and challenges of Cuban socialism, discusses the stages, principles, and objectives of the model’s update, and focuses on explaining the adjustment and update of Cuba’s macroeconomic policies, the reorganization and innovation of strategic economic sectors, ideological and cultural construction, the development of science and education, environmental protection, social governance, and diplomatic strategy. These aspects are important pillars for Cuba’s internal transformation, and this book correctly defines them as "a development path toward prosperity, democracy, and sustainability."
Another success of this book lies in its affirmation and explanation of the indisputable core role of Fidel Castro’s thought and practice. Fidel Castro provided answers to almost all major historical and practical issues concerning the vital interests and future destiny of the people of Cuba and the world. Together with Marxism-Leninism and Martí’s thought, Fidel Castro’s thought provides a theoretical reference for Cuba to build socialism in line with its own national conditions; its roots lie in unalterable basic principles such as justice, equality, solidarity, internationalism, multilateralism, and people’s self-determination.
As is widely recognized, Fidel was able to grasp the pulse of the times, correctly assess the pattern of the two systems [9], find solutions to global challenges, and lead the Cuban national liberation and anti-imperialist struggle, providing inexhaustible momentum for humanity to advance the cause of socialism and communism and realize a better future. He pointed out early on that socialism is the only way for humanity to break the shackles of capitalism and imperialism, and that every country has its own way of revolution and its own way of interpreting revolutionary ideas.
Regarding socialism, Fidel did not hesitate to regard the struggle for national independence and people's liberation as the primary objective of the Cuban Revolution, and the socialist path as the only way to achieve this goal. He firmly advocated for proletarian internationalism, as well as political, economic, and social equality, viewing them as the concentrated expression of the superiority of socialism and as principles that must be upheld forever.
Regarding Party building, Fidel always believed that the Party is the soul of the Cuban Revolution and the embodiment of its ideals, principles, and strength. Advancing Party building is one of Fidel’s most important historical contributions. He always called on the Party to maintain close ties with the masses [10] and to preserve its ideological purity and organizational capacity. Fidel believed that the Party should not only be the vanguard of the working class but also the faithful representative of the interests of the nation and the people.
Resolute opposition to capitalist globalization was Fidel’s fundamental position when discussing international issues. He believed that globalization is a natural law of world historical development and an inevitable result of the progress of human productive forces; the globalization we oppose is neoliberal globalization—globalization used as a tool for imperialism to exploit and control the world market and re-colonize the Third World. Fidel condemned the aggressiveness of imperialism, believing its demise to be inevitable, and long called for the countries of the world to unite in the face of global challenges such as hunger, migration, the environment, war, and terrorism.
Therefore, Cuban socialism is synonymous with and the institutional guarantee of national independence and self-determination. Cuba has always been committed to building an independent, socialist, prosperous, democratic, and sustainable sovereign state, continuously advancing development strategies and public policies that face challenges head-on while consolidating its achievements. The solidarity and cooperation advocated by Cuba are based on mutual respect, selfless assistance, and complementarity; the principle Cuba has always upheld is "sharing what one has, rather than what is leftover." Cuba will continue to strengthen the unity of its people, advance development plans, improve its economic and social model, and face the future with full confidence. We believe that through its own efforts, Cuba will surely overcome all obstacles.
Although Cuba and China are far apart, the socialist processes of the two countries share common goals and basic characteristics in a universal historical sense. At the same time, due to differences in national conditions and geodevelopmental environments, the two countries have different political, economic, social, cultural, and historical characteristics. Both experiences have yielded effective, concrete results and formed people-centered political processes.
In recent years, the two countries have attached great importance to exchanging and learning from each other’s experiences in building socialism with their own characteristics. They have established a practice of mutually briefing each other on major internal and external Party and state affairs, which has effectively promoted the development of the socialist cause in both countries.
The first Theoretical Seminar of the PCC and the CPC, held in September 2014, established a mechanized platform for deepening theoretical exchanges between the two parties in the New Era. The fourth Theoretical Seminar, held in March 2022 under the theme "Strengthening Party Building and Forging Ahead on the New Journey of China-Cuba Socialism in the New Era," featured exchanges of experience regarding the Party's leadership over economic and social development, Marxist ideological education, the training of officials, youth work, Party-mass relations, the construction of grassroots Party organizations, education in Party and national history, experience in reform and opening up, scientific and technological innovation, the anti-epidemic struggle, and the use of information and communication technologies to respond to ideological subversion in unconventional warfare.
At the opening ceremony of the fourth Theoretical Seminar, the leaders of the two parties delivered speeches. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that in the face of new situations and tasks, it is timely for the two parties to conduct theoretical seminars, which are of great significance for both countries in exploring socialist development paths suited to their own national conditions. First Secretary Miguel Díaz-Canel pointed out that the two parties and two countries should learn from each other’s experience in socialist construction, focus on common concerns, and further deepen their strategic consensus.
In the Central Report to the 8th Congress of the PCC, the Communist Party of Cuba explicitly mentioned China and affirmed the undeniable progress China has made in the political, economic, and social fields. This demonstrates that the Cuban leadership attaches great importance to the special strategic relationship with China. The 8th Congress also proposed that based on the traditional friendship and solidarity between the two countries, the good relations between the two parties and two countries should be further consolidated, and bilateral economic cooperation should be carried out in various fields to help advance Cuba’s 2030 National Economic and Social Development Plan.
Cuba and China have always been committed to maintaining world peace and remain united in firmly defending true multilateralism, international law, and the basic principles of the UN Charter. The two countries consistently oppose all forms of blockades and unilateral coercive measures, oppose political campaigns and political oppression directed at sovereign states, and oppose the stigmatization and politicization of relevant issues.
At this critical moment in the development of Cuban socialism, I would like to congratulate, on behalf of the Communist Party of Cuba, the Cuban government, and the Cuban people, the publication of this book. This volume also embodies the precious wisdom of many Chinese researchers who have dedicated endless knowledge and inspiration to Cuban studies. I look forward to Chinese readers engaging with this book and enriching their understanding and perception of Cuban socialism.
Carlos Miguel Pereira Hernández Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to the People's Republic of China May 18, 2022