US sanctions Cuba's electronics and energy sectors, targeting two Chinese suppliers

A new round of US sanctions

The United States expanded its campaign against Cuba on Thursday, 5 November 2026, with a determination that clears the way for sanctions on several crucial sectors, including electronics, manufacturing, maritime and technology. For the first time, the measures reach Chinese companies that supply Cuba's armed forces. The sanctions are part of a wider effort by President Donald Trump and his allies to force a change of government in Havana, as the island deals with a deepening economic and energy crisis. Counts differ between announcements: AP reports eight entities and two individuals, El País reports eight companies, two individuals and five blocked vessels, and Europa Press lists two individuals, five companies and two vessels in the Treasury's designations.

Individuals and companies on the list

Any Rodríguez Lastres is one of two Cubans sanctioned, and Spiegel, Digi24 and VRT describe her as the daughter of Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, head of the military-controlled conglomerate Gaesa. Europa Press instead names a brigadier general, Any Lastres Morera, as the person presiding over Gaesa. The second individual is a man Europa Press identifies as Guillermo Faustino Rodríguez, linked to Gaesa, while El País names Guillermo Rodríguez López-Calleja, tied to a network that moves petroleum products by sea. Cuban state firms Tecnosime and Cubaelectrónica are listed, along with Internacional Marítima, Petromarca and the Panama-based Tentacool. Washington accuses the Chinese firms CEIEC and Beijing H&C Technologies of supplying military components and security equipment to Cuba's armed forces through the local company Duna. Gaesa itself had already been sanctioned earlier in 2026.

Vessels and the oil squeeze

The Treasury blocked two Cuban-flagged vessels, the Emilia, which carries liquefied natural gas, and the Gloria C, a chemical tanker. The State Department added Caroil Transport Marine, which it describes as a Cyprus-based company managing Cuban-flagged tankers, along with the vessels Maria Cristina, Esperanza and Lourdes. El País says five vessels are identified as blocked property, which bars their transfer, sale or use without a specific US authorization. The measures land on an island already squeezed by oil shortages. In late January 2026 Trump threatened tariffs on any country selling or supplying oil to Cuba, and AP reports that daily power interruptions now exceed 24 hours as the grid deteriorates and fuel reserves fall. Spiegel calls it Cuba's worst economic crisis since the Soviet Union collapsed.

Beijing and the UN vote

On Friday, 6 November, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun rejected the sanctions on the two Chinese companies at a press conference. He said cooperation between China and Cuba is open and transparent, and Beijing opposes unilateral sanctions and the extraterritorial application of US measures. Guo did not directly answer the accusations or say what steps Beijing would take, though the ministry warned it would take all necessary measures to protect its companies' rights and interests. The sanctions come shortly after the UN General Assembly condemned the US embargo for the 34th year in the week of 26 October 2026. AP reports that the US campaign to influence that vote led several countries to vote against or abstain for the first time.