HAVANA, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Cuba’s imports from China tumbled to $483 million last year versus $791 million in 2019, according to data from the Chinese Customs Office, extending a steep five-year decline as the island’s economy reels from U.S. sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic.
Cuba is dependent on imports for much of its consumption, but it began falling behind on payments to foreign suppliers from 2015 as support ebbed from ally Venezuela due to its own economic woes.
The Chinese government previously reported that exports to Cuba had declined from nearly $1.9 billion in 2015 to $1.1 billion in 2018.
The Customs Office data put China’s imports from Cuba at $472 million, similar to 2019, meaning overall trade was below a billion…