U.S. Immigration perspective on U.S. immigrant life: On the 14th local time, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will lead a 20-member delegation on a one-day official visit to Cuba. He will be the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit Cuba in 70 years, following Edward Stettinius Jr. in March 1945. This historic visit by Kerry will undoubtedly mark a significant chapter in the normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations, though there is still a long road ahead for full normalization.
On July 20 of this year, the United States and Cuba officially restored diplomatic relations. On that day, the Cuban Embassy in the United States held a grand opening ceremony in Washington, attended by a delegation led by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez. Due to Kerry's tight schedule, the U.S. Embassy in Cuba did not hold a ceremony on the 20th, merely beginning its embassy functions, and the U.S. Congress has yet to formally appoint a U.S. Ambassador to Cuba. For this long-awaited trip to Havana, Kerry's primary task is to personally raise the American flag at the flag-raising ceremony held at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba on the 14th. It is understood that three octogenarian U.S. veterans who witnessed the severance of U.S.-Cuba ties in early 1961 will also attend the ceremony, a detail that is quite thought-provoking.
In addition to attending the flag-raising ceremony, Kerry will hold talks with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez and attend a joint press conference. In an interview with U.S. media on the eve of his visit, Kerry stated that he would discuss a series of issues related to the full normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations with Rodríguez. He said, "We will talk very directly about moving toward a true and comprehensive normalization of relations between the two countries in the form of a roadmap. This roadmap will include the U.S. lifting the embargo on Cuba, which we support. Of course, the roadmap will also include some issues that require Cuba to make changes, such as the ability of the Cuban people to participate in the democratic process, the voting rights of the Cuban people, and so on."
Furthermore, Kerry will invite representatives from all walks of life in Cuban society, including entrepreneurs, artists, media reporters, and dissidents, to the U.S. Chief of Mission's residence in Cuba to exchange views. He also plans to walk the streets of Havana to talk with passersby and listen to their opinions. According to the U.S. Department of State, Kerry's trip does not include meetings with President of the Council of State of Cuba Raúl Castro or Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.
As the first visit by a U.S. Secretary of State to Cuba in 70 years, this historic visit is bound to further promote the process of normalizing relations between the two countries. However, bridging the existing differences between the U.S. and Cuba will not be achieved overnight. External analysts point out that Kerry's trip will inevitably raise many thorny issues, such as human rights and the return of U.S. corporate property nationalized by the Cuban government after the 1959 revolution. Just on the 9th of this month, the Cuban government arrested 90 dissidents who were holding peaceful demonstrations, sparking dissatisfaction within the U.S. Congress, particularly among Republican lawmakers, who believe that establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba has already given Cuba enough concessions without receiving corresponding returns. However, analysts say that the degree of closeness between the Obama administration and Cuban dissidents is very subtle, which will directly affect cooperation between the U.S. and Cuba on regional issues such as counter-terrorism and anti-drug trafficking.
The Cuban side also maintains its own stance. On August 13, the 89th birthday of Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, he published a signed article titled "Reality and Dreams" in the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Cuba, Granma. The article stated, "Cuba has proven with irrefutable arguments in multiple UN General Assembly speeches that the United States should pay huge compensation for the losses Cuba has suffered under the embargo." When President of the Council of State of Cuba Raúl Castro announced the restart of the normalization of relations with the U.S. on December 17 last year, he reiterated that Cuba would not change its socialist system. At the opening ceremony of the Cuban Embassy in the United States held on July 20 this year, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez reiterated that the United States should immediately lift the economic, commercial, and financial embargo imposed on Cuba for more than 50 years and return the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base it still occupies.
It is foreseeable that both sides will conduct multiple rounds of negotiations and consultations on the road to full normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations, and there is still a long way to go in the future.