This archive report was first published on 20 December 2019.
US President Donald Trump's presidency, which began in January 2017, has seen a significant escalation of sanctions against Cuba, a country that has been subject to US sanctions since the communist revolution of 1959.
The increased sanctions have posed new challenges for Cuba, but the government remains committed to its stance, as expressed by Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil in an interview on Wednesday.
"2019 was a difficult year, full of tension," Gil said. "It wasn't unusual - we've lived with this embargo for 60 years - but this year marked a hardening that forced us to overcome it."
The US sanctions have a far-reaching impact on Cuba's economy, affecting its tourism industry, investments, remittances, and fuel imports.
Despite the difficulties, Gil emphasized that Cuba will not abandon its development and will continue to implement reforms. "The hardening of the blockade can impact the rhythm of certain things, making them unfold slower," he said. "If the United States hopes, with their aggressive policy, that we'll speed up the changes, they'll achieve the opposite effect."
Gil also addressed concerns about the influence of the old guard of revolutionaries, including former President Raul Castro, who remains the head of the Communist Party of Cuba. "No one among the old guard of revolutionaries is preventing us from advancing," Gil said.
The current economic model, introduced by Castro in 2008, allows individuals to launch private enterprises, with those working in the private sector now making up 13 percent of the country's workforce.
According to the government, it has progressed in a fifth of its reforms, with Minister Gil expressing confidence in Cuba's ability to overcome the challenges posed by US sanctions.
"General Raul Castro said we have to move forwards slowly but surely. It's not a race. We're a socialist country and our primary premise is not to upset the people," Gil said, referencing Cuba's population of 11 million.
"There are some very simple measures we could put in place that would exclude 40 percent of the population and we're not going to do that, just as we're not going to apply neo-liberal policies," he added.
Despite the difficulties, the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean expects Cuba's economy to grow by 0.5 percent this year, with Minister Gil expecting a more optimistic figure of around one percent in 2020.
