Great! They’ll be able to keep their empty fridges cool!
deleted by creator
This is part of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. It’s to put other countries in debt and make them owe China. It’s disguised as investments.
There’s also a lot of problems with quality and human rights violations.
Better than the U.S.'s embargo murder
And the US loans through the IMF are any different? Like Boohoo at least china is actively building infrastructure that’s benefits these countries instead of just straight up extracting natural resources.
Yes, they are. For one thing it is possible to renegotiate the loan if it turns out they can’t pay it. Loans are only given with oversight and implementation of economic and political reforms. the terms are clear before the money is given. Unfortunately, they are often very difficult changes and are effectively impacting sovereignty in that the reforms are toward a western economic model.
The Chinese approach is different, and usually ends up being a debt trap. Also, they are extracting natural resources, and failing to take responsibility for their failures.
They are different yes. Also its laughable to suggest its not extracting natural resources over half the shit they’re building is purely for extraction and the other half is for transporting it back to china.
That’s how financing works.
It really sucks that the Canadian government isn’t also helping Cuba. I am very disappointed in our governments extremely inadequate response to the US’s illegal shakedown of Cuba.
Whenever I see these installations, I can’t help but think I’d rather see panels all over the place and much more decentralized.
Kind of anywhere, but especially some place with the occasional flattening storm and to help reduce load and transmission costs when demand is high.
I don’t know though maybe it’s better to clump kinda dangerous things.
Either way, it’s literally a place to go soak up some sun, may as well make hay while the sun is shining.
I’d love to wander around a beachy place under some sort of solar installation to help with shade.
Yeah even have some fans going during peak production and some charging points
It’s because they’d be more expensive if decentralized; all of the extra equipment required to transform the output, step down voltage and such would need to be replaced with thousands (millions?) of smaller units that do the same thing at an individual home/building level, requiring a larger trained labour force to install/maintain/replace them.
Personally, I think that would be rad, but most people don’t care to learn enough to safely be power engineers and if you’re in a 2 year backlog to get your home solar sorted out after a hurricane, you’d probably wonder why they didn’t do it this way instead.
You’d save all that transmission cost. No need for high voltage DC at all 12-48 v dc systems are pretty safe. They’ve been putting them on boats for years. Couple that with the EU regulations for USB C and you’d have basically all electrical needs met minus climate control.
Fridges might have to be replaced, or just get a bunch of cheap inverters.
It’s not like I’m great at reading Spanish, but from what I gather this Prensa Latina article says that three projects of 4 MW each are being built, donated by “the asian giant”, which I assume means China. Whereas 75 is (or rather, was, in 2024) the number of solar parks in total that exists:
Did a translation error sneak in somewhere?
What I don’t get is why that number apparently went down since. This daily report only mentions 54 solar parks:
Los 54 parques solares fotovoltaicos generaron ayer 4240 MW/hora, con una potencia máxima de 792 MW.
Funny side note, even the writer of this note is confused by W vs Wh. They must mean 4240 MWh, MW/h is meaningless.
So looks like the article posted by OP, written in 2026, somehow takes his headline from a translation mistake from the Prensa Latina Article from 2024, and then cites a Granma Article from 2025 for most of its content.
Why not use the 92 parks in the newest plan for the headline? Is this just automated bad blogspam or what is happening?
Edit, nvm wtf
China the 🐐
They beat the US in healthcare; if they beat them in power infrastructure too it would be hilarious
Trevor Noah’s latest pod discusses China. Apparently infrastructure for others is their new influence/weapon.
Trump killed our global soft power and China is stepping into that space.
New? They’ve been doing it for a very long time now. It’s way cheaper to provide infrastructure to win good will than it is to fight them. And by getting them the infrastructure they can start producing goods for you. China has been outsourcing to Africa for a very long time now. Also just pillaging their resources.
pillaging their resources.
Employing locals and raising the median income. Then providing stable power infrastructure which previously did not exist. While USA slashed USAID.
Propaganda much?
Most of the countries that take this money are ending up destitute and owing China huge sums and some of the infrastructure has already started crumbling.
Not always. Sometimes they offer to build the infrastructure to help you mine your resources then snatching up almost all the profit leaving your country and its people still very poor. This is how and why China controls the world’s rare earth magnets and other more exotic materials that modern tech relies on. It’s modern imperialism.
They’re also transmitting mixed chinese/<insert local language here> language broadcasts into other countries via shortwave. The US gutted VOA in response.
Weapon?
Soft power can be welded to bend other nations to your will.
Yes. Long term approach to gaining political influence. Used as a weapon, it fosters dependency. Use as a good will approach, it fosters appreciation and the beginning of a bond of trust.
The infrastructure and loan programs China has been used for years in Africa and South America as the weapon.
Just take a gander of the infrastructure failures and unpayable loans. Also, the rare earth mining in central Africa.
it fosters appreciation and the beginning of a bond of trust.
pretty low hanging fruit when the US has been trying to undermine Cuba since the 1920s.
I did not imply the U.S.A. was always doing the right thing. Politics is a bitch, and I would not last 10 minutes as a politician.
China has been indebting a lot of Africa building stuff all over the place longer than Trump has been around, doesn’t get talked about very much. I only knew because I watch a few full time travel vloggers.
It’s been reported, it’s just not promoted. I also have known about it for years, but from news sources.
Well, the west has been indebting them without infrastructure build up, so…
So…
So!
Oh I thought you were gonna tankie like “therefore china good!”
China another state like many others but not as bad as Americans think
Number of countries attacked by China is pretty low compared to US.
I agree.
Yeah China has been funding massive infrastructure expansion around the world for over a decade. All across Africa and Asia.
Because stable infrastructure means a stable economy and more people to buy Chinese stuff. Nothing stopping USA from doing this, as if they want Africa to succeed.
i have trouble thinking of infrastructure improvements and expansion as a bad thing. Damn that’s an effective strategy.
African economy is underdeveloped. Billions invested to day means trillions down the road with people buying pointless shit like Americans do.
Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
Convince a man to let you build a fishing pier with exclusive fishing rights in his pond in exchange for giving him a fish every week, and you’ve got a customer for life.
In reality, China doesn’t need to be so crass as to demand exclusive rights. The mere fact that these are Chinese panels with Chinese hardware means Cuba is going to be dependent on China for as long as they aren’t willing to throw out a massive chunk of their infrastructure. As long as this move comes with some change to the material situation that makes Cuba pay China back and then some, China gets richer from it.
Capitalist corporations and nations have done the same for centuries. European colonial empires kept advanced manufacturing in Europe so the colonies couldn’t become independent without a massive reduction in industrial capacity. Because of this many former colonies are still economically dependent on Europe and/or the US. China is simply coming in and offering them a better deal.
It’s modern colonialism to some extent, the USA does/did similar, you ingratiate the people to you so you can exploit the resources OR geography OR populace somehow.
It’s not always evil. It’s rarely ever altruistic.
One way this is done is “we’ll build the bridge to get to the other side of this thing if we’re granted mineral rights for the next LONG TIME” and upfront you get the bridge but the backside is you lost the resource. For the people who were never going to reap the reward of resource … but now they have a bridge … win/win?
This is a downside to these sorts of things. Again, not always evil though.
It’s called the Belt and Road initiative iirc
Also when you travel in central or south America you see more and more infrastructure by the Chinese. Still a lot less than Africa, but China is taking investments into ressource rich countries seriously.
It’s all fun and games until you realize they put pee pee in your coke before you drank it.
Any evidence/source on that?
I just posted some links in my other comments.
They have quite a lot of space to step in as Russia also did kill their soft power.
Everything seems to benefit China.
I mean you have a fascist greedy oligarchy on one side and a wannabe fascist greedy oligarchy on the other; it’s not like China is facing a lot of competition in the realm of great power statesmanship.
I will defo check it out today, cheers!
And on a similar note, here is an article from a couple of months back:
US-China head-to-head: Explained in 11 maps and charts
Before President Trump’s visit to Beijing, Al Jazeera compares the US and China on economics, military and resources.
Well done China! 👍
It’s an absolute disgrace the lack of help there is to Cuba from the rest of the world, with a humanitarian crisis caused by the US blockade, for absolutely no reason!! What USA is doing is a crime against humanity, And the whole world is just silent about it?! 🤮“Says in these history books, the good guys always won…what are the chances?” -N. MacDonald
Yes it’s a weird coincidence. We are so goddam lucky! 😋
Another great example of why energy independence is a key part of national security. While I’m sure China is only too happy to receive the publicity and leverage, Cuba being resistant to blockades by a certain belligerent neighbor is immense.
Cuba has been under siege since the 1920s with the mob using Cuban molasses to make booze, then they turned Cuba into Las Vegas before Las Vegas was a thing. There were very good reasons for the revolution.
Thank you China.
Cuban Solar Crisis
deleted by creator
Why not before? Optics…
Maybe, but helping a people with similar politics who are suffering miserably is always a good thing for those people. The fact that they are so close to a mutual enemy is icing on the cake.
This is the culture that gave us “the Art of War”, after all. I’d expect no less of them, and normally I’d expect at least as much from us. Unfortunately we’re lead by the (possibly) worst representative of humanity possible right now.
They dont have similar politics, lmfao.
No, they are not both communist nations with a similar dislike of America and authoritarian governments. One loves America and hates Communism. /s
I see no communism in China. Cuba, maybe.
Sigh.
Because before Cuba got tons of oil from Venezuela.
The US ended that with no plan on how Cuba would cope, just left them to fucking die. It’s gross.
Cuba had it’s entire infrastructure built around oil burning to produce power.
The US ended that with no plan on how Cuba would cope
fight for their land and stop leaving it as refugee’s?
more and more I’m against immigration as it’s seems to give the people an easy out, instead of fighting for land just leave and talk shit about it from afar
I can see where this thought can seem plausible, but you need to think it through. You will find it isn’t plausible and is unreasonable. Also, many will consider it crass and cruel.
The people not the land matter. Survival is what we fight for.
I’ve seen enough of the willing die I could never imagine asking the scared and unwilling to if they have an option for escape.
A downvote isn’t powerful enough. I am so angry at you.
An Australian complaining about immigration fucking lol
🤣 well at least you wouldn’t be a refugee and can actually stand up for yourself
^ ^ ^ still lives in parents house
Or you’d be dead - by political action, disease,or starvation. Pick your poison. It isn’t all “refugees are wimps” or “refugees are leeches”.
Think of them as human, and things make more sense. ( Not accusing you of bad additude, just making the counterpoint)
Or you’d be dead
Yes I am aware of this, if I was in Palestine I would have my head rolling down a hill because I called Mohamad a violent pedophile :)
But I wouldn’t necessarily be angry at the nutty Muslims, I’d be more angry and the ones who ran away instead of helping me fight
you fought for your land growing up huh?
no you didn’t, you just hate the other. dickbag
Sure has gone well for the Palestinians that refused to be evicted from their homes by an internationally supported military settler colony
same thing, palestinians leave gaza and thus it’s ruled by islamic state dictators, when people do stand up they get tortured
if all the people willing to fight for it leave the only people who remain support the nutters in power and that’s how you end up with oct 7th
…Do you think the Palestinians have the right to vote in Israel’s elections?
Like do you genuinely believe that they are permitted rights when the knesset calls them subhumans, rats, goyim and amalek then celebrate with champagne when a death penalty exclusively for palestinians is passed into law?
You end up with october 7th when a settler colony murders millions over the course of 70 years through poisoning of water sources, restriction of food, water, medical aid, forced sterilisation, restriction of movement, destruction of crops and homes, and the killing of every man woman and child that refuses to be evicted from their family land for the sake of israeli apartments.
…Do you think the Palestinians have the right to vote in Israel’s elections?
Yes, Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship—often referred to as Palestinian citizens of Israel or Arab Israelis—have the same voting rights as any other Israeli citizen. This includes the right to vote in Knesset (parliamentary) elections starting at age 18. They have had this right since the first Israeli elections in 1949legalclarity.org+1.
And how many of them have voted for their homes to be bombed or for the wholesale slaughter of their families to continue?
Oh, I see now. You’re a troll, not serious. I should have read through before responding in other places. At least I didn’t take the rage bait.
Because before Cuban doctors didn’t have to rush to manually pump the respirators for intubated infants multiple times a week during blackouts due to the US blockade intensifying.
Your user tag is “Wumao” so I’m gonna trust my gut.
I’m literally American lol. But I was in China a couple months ago, so I understand why you wouldn’t want to listen to anyone with direct knowledge of the subject, we wouldn’t want to challenge pre-existing beliefs with evidence and observation.
If Russia can pay Americans to spout propaganda benefitting Russia, why can’t China do the same? I’m not saying you are, but “I’m literally American” isn’t a useful response by any means.
Except you could also be someone’s influence campaign. If you automatically give the assumption of “paid propagandist” more weight than the assumption of earnest belief, you may as well exit the Internet.
I’m specifically saying “I’m an American” isn’t a useful rebuttal about being a paid propagandist, nothing more or less. I didn’t say if it was my belief that he was.
Yes, optics, because if the US sinks ships carrying solar panels they lose even more respect on the international stage and bring even more attention to their illegal military blockade of Cuba in which they have directly killed over 200 civilians via bombing vessels in and around Cuba, and indirectly killed at least a few thousand by eliminating oil imports to the country.
China had nothing but risk before the carrier group was moved into place, as the US’ official stance was international sanctions and complete lockout from using USD internationally if you dared to trade with Cuba.
After the blockade those sanctions are meaningless as no other country would follow the US if they actually issue said sanctions, and the US itself isn’t economically capable of handling sanctions against China at this point in time. So China has no risk to help out.
So China has no risk to help out
If China saw it that way, they would be sending oil. They’re still trying not to rock the boat, the way I had it explained by a chinese cab driver is that if they continue to follow the rules and be reliable, more of the world will be willing to expand relations with China, protecting them from the US or anybody else acting unfairly. I did not call him naive to his face.
if they continue to follow the rules and be reliable, more of the world will be willing to expand relations with China, protecting them from the US or anybody else acting unfairly
I feel that this is true to an extent. If you are a government in Africa or a company in Singapore, will you prefer to do business with the guys who have a track record of keeping their word, or the guy who changes his mind every second day?
Besides, if China openly flouts the blockade, how sure are you that Trump won’t start WW3? Better to just deny any new weapons and wait for the old ones to rust.
If China saw it that way, they would be sending oil.
Short term solution from a country without oil.
I did not call him naive to his face.
How dare China behave like the USA.
The naive part was expecting China to be treated fairly by America or its vassals, any progress will be undone via propaganda. Look at this very thread, how many comments are seeing China fighting climate change, protecting Cuba’s sovereignty, and stopping a literal famine, and trying to explain why actually “China bad”.
Why do you think aiding an addiction would be helping out? Solar panels are blockade proof. Cuba’s biggest problems come from over reliance on disposable imports; if Cuba had access to solar Venezuela wouldn’t have been invaded and Cuba wouldn’t have any real negative effects from this blockade besides the loss of tourism income.
Besides China doesn’t sell oil, they do sell Solar panels and batteries. One generally gives what they have.
Cuba has a huge capacity to make ethanol. Brazil does this.
Brazil is around 8,514,877 km², Cuba is around 110,860 km².
Brazil has around 963,000 km² farm land. Cuba has around 36,000 km²[1] of farmland.
If it were to convert all of its farmland into ethanol production, resulting in the mass starvation of the Cuban population, it could not produce anything close to what Brazil could produce. But how much could it produce?
We’ll be assuming Brazil’s sugarcane method is the most efficient crop for Cuba given their similar climates and growing zones. Which gives us around 764,000 liters of ethanol per km²
Cuba uses 178,000 barrels per day of oil, which comes out to 28,302,000 liters of oil per day, or around 10,337,305,500 liters per year. Which means Cuba only needs to convert… 13,560 km² of their farmland to ethanol production. So the famously fat and never food insecure Cubans need to just give up half[1] of their food production!
Great solution.
[1]
Cuba has 109,000 km² of land, and many sources give the available farmland of cuba at 30% of available land… but also list it at 65.000 km². Which wouldn’t be 30%. I’m assuming 30% is about right given the geography of Cuba. It’s possible 63% of Cuba is farmland, which makes this slightly easier, but looking at google maps that doesn’t seem right.
Keeping the power plants running so babies don’t die is not feeding an addiction wtf.
China has tankers with oil, this is an emergency, building solar is great long term, but it doesn’t matter to the patients on ventilators and the farmers who’s tractors have no fuel.
Keeping the power plants running so babies don’t die is not feeding an addiction wtf.
What… what do you think the solar panels are going to do?
They will decrease the severity of the crisis, but as the article says, theres not enough, they take time to come online, and upgrading Cuba’s grid and storage will take even longer, and it still doesn’t help processes that need oil like farming and concrete production.
Cuba needs oil now.
doesn’t help processes that need oil like farming and concrete production.
If they can reduce oil use in power generation, it should help by reducing the overall amounts of oil they need to procure
Take far longer to set up that it would to simply make use of the existing infrastructure.
The US still has an oil embargo in place.
US has been embargoing Cuba since the 60s.
Nice alt account
Girl my account is older than yours
I think she thinks we’re the same person.
wait is it solipsism
saturdaysunday again?fuck it’s not my turn to exist. whosever it is, could you imagine me having a pony named Buckshit that likes apples?
Literally every good thing countries do that they don’t have to is either completely or partially optics.
Yes, which we call soft power. It’s generally very beneficial, which is exactly why US gutted USAID because they literally can’t do anything right.
Few million in infrastructure aid pays out huge with soft power.
politics is the business of optics, so while you’re not wrong it doesn’t feel like a useful comparison.
