A Development Path toward Prosperity, Democracy, and Sustainability*

Editor’s note: Since the 21st century, Cuban socialism, having weathered the historical trials of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the drastic changes in Eastern Europe, has entered a new historical stage of independently exploring the updating of its socialist model. The book *The Updating of the Cuban Socialist Model: A Development Path toward Prosperity, Democracy, and Sustainability* (2024), authored by Researcher He Qin of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Marxism, traces the historical process of Cuba’s model updating, systematically discusses its top-level design and institutional construction, and conducts thematic studies on issues such as Cuba’s housing problem, population aging, and environmental governance. The following is the preface to this book written by Carlos Miguel Pereira Hernández, former Cuban ambassador to China and Director General of Bilateral Affairs of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

编者按：21世纪以来，古巴社会主义在经历了苏联解体、东欧剧变的历史考验后，步入自主探索社会主义模式更新的历史新阶段。由中国社会科学院马克思主义研究院贺钦研究员所著的《古巴社会主义模式更新：面向繁荣、民主与可持续的发展道路》（2024）通过回溯古巴模式更新的历史进程，对古巴模式更新的顶层设计和制度建设进行了系统论述，并对古巴住房问题、人口老龄化问题、环境治理等问题进行了专题研究。下文为古巴前驻华大使、古巴外交部双边总司司长卡洛斯·米格尔·佩雷拉·埃尔南德斯（Carlos Miguel Pereira Hernández）为该书所作的序言。

In April 2010, I met Researcher He Qin during a visit to the Institute of Marxism of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. At that time, we were still celebrating half a century since the victory of the Cuban Revolution; more than a decade has now passed. During that visit, Researcher He Qin participated in the exchange between the two sides as an interpreter from the Institute of Marxism. In May 2010, she published the results of our exchange in the form of an interview in the *Chinese Social Sciences Today*. This article, titled “Socialism Is Moving Forward and Will Absolutely Not Change—An Interview with Cuban Ambassador to China Pérez,” summarized the historical significance and particularities of the Cuban Revolution, the achievements and challenges of Cuban socialism, and especially the challenges facing Cuban Marxism and socialism. This pioneering work enhanced the understanding and knowledge of Cuban socialism among Chinese scholars and readers.

2010年4月，我在访问中国社会科学院马克思主义研究院时结识了贺钦研究员。那时，我们还在庆祝古巴革命胜利半个世纪，如今已过去了十多年。在那次访问中，贺钦研究员作为马克思主义研究院的翻译参与了双方的交流。2010年5月，她将我们的交流成果以访谈形式发表在《中国社会科学报》上。这篇题为《社会主义在向前走，绝对不会变——访古巴驻华大使佩雷拉》的文章，总结了古巴革命的历史意义及其特殊性、古巴社会主义的成就和挑战，尤其是古巴马克思主义和社会主义面临的挑战。这项具有开创性意义的成果，增进了中国学者和读者对古巴社会主义的理解和认识。

As described in Researcher He Qin’s new book, the process of building Cuban socialism is inseparable from the historic victory of the Cuban Revolution, the leadership of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, and the historical role of the Cuban Communist Party and the Cuban people as subjects. The Cuban Revolution possesses historical particularities that distinguish it from other socialist experiences. The Cuban Revolution is a heroic creation. For over sixty years, in the face of the severe blockade imposed by the United States and various forms of warfare, Cuba has not only achieved but also consolidated its national sovereignty and independence.

正如贺钦研究员的这本新书所述，古巴社会主义建设进程与古巴革命的历史性胜利、菲德尔·卡斯特罗·鲁斯总司令的领导、古巴共产党和古巴人民的历史主体作用密不可分。古巴革命具有不同于其他社会主义经验的历史特殊性。古巴革命是一项英雄的创造。六十多年来，面对美国强加的严厉封锁和各种形式的战争，古巴不仅实现而且巩固了国家的主权和独立。

The book *The Updating of the Cuban Socialist Model—A Development Path toward Prosperity, Democracy, and Sustainability* is the fruit of Researcher He Qin’s many years of systematic and in-depth research. Drawing on her rich academic experience and rigorous, objective scholarly attitude, she presents readers with a panoramic view of the development process of Cuba’s model updating, which will help a new generation of Chinese readers deepen their understanding of socialism with Cuban characteristics.

《古巴社会主义模式更新——面向繁荣、民主与可持续的发展道路》一书是贺钦研究员多年系统深入研究的成果。她凭借丰富的学术经验和严谨客观的学术态度，为读者全景式地呈现了古巴模式更新的发展历程，这将有助于中国新一代读者加深对古巴特色社会主义的认识。

In the nine chapters, including the conclusion, the author elaborates in depth on the development process of the Cuban Revolution, the evolution of the thought of Cuban leaders and their theoretical contributions, the formation of the Cuban conception of socialism and its unifying essence, and the milestones in the development of Cuban socialism.

在包括结语在内的九个章节内容中，作者深入阐述了古巴革命的发展历程、古巴领导人思想的发展及其理论贡献、古巴社会主义观的形成及其团结本质和古巴社会主义发展的里程碑。

The process of building Cuban socialism, owing to its profound anti-imperialist revolutionary tradition and Cuba’s cultural particularities, has formed a deeply indigenous model whose feasibility and importance have been fully demonstrated over time. Cuba represents a concrete experience of building socialism in the 20th and 21st centuries. Cuban socialism coexists with different rules of international hegemony and with the evolution of global imperialism and its rules for contending for world hegemony.

古巴社会主义建设历程因其深厚的反帝国主义革命传统和古巴的文化特质，形成了一种深刻的本土模式，其可行性和重要性随着时间的演进得到了充分的证明。古巴代表了20世纪和21世纪建设社会主义的一种具体经验。古巴社会主义与不同的国际霸权规则共存，与全球帝国主义的演变及其争夺世界霸权的规则共存。

As the Brazilian anthropologist Darcy Ribeiro said, Cuba is a “new people,” a nation born from a mixture of different cultures. Therefore, Cuba differs from China in that Cuban culture has a history of only a little over two hundred years, yet its brief history is profound. At the same time that Cuba became a nation-state, the capitalist country 90 miles from its coast, the United States, became an imperialist power. For Cuban revolutionaries of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was necessary to pay attention to, condemn, and confront this fact—that with Cuba’s independence, the expansion of the United States on American soil had to be promptly stopped. This is a main thread running through Cuban history.

正如巴西人类学家达西·里贝罗（Darcy Ribeiro）所说，古巴是一个“新民族”，是一个从不同文化混合体中产生的国家。因此，古巴不同于中国的地方在于古巴文化只有两百多年的历史，但其短暂的历史又是深刻的。在古巴成为民族国家的同时，距其海岸90英里的资本主义国家美国变成了帝国主义国家。对19世纪和20世纪的古巴革命者而言，必须关注、谴责并直面这一事实——随着古巴的独立，要及时阻止美国在美洲土地上的扩张。这是贯穿古巴历史的一条主线。

As stated by the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, Cuban socialism is the historical result of Cuba’s unremitting struggle for national independence, national sovereignty, and maximum social justice. The existence of an independent state just a few dozen miles from the United States is something the United States has never been able to accept; therefore, the construction of Cuba’s economic, political, and social model has always been met with hostility and harassment from the U.S. government.

正如古巴革命领袖菲德尔·卡斯特罗·鲁斯总司令所述，古巴社会主义是古巴为实现民族独立、国家主权和最大限度的社会正义而不懈斗争的历史结果。在离美国区区几十英里的地方存在一个独立国家是美国永远无法接受的，因此古巴的经济、政治和社会模式建设始终遭到美国政府的敌视和侵扰。

In 1892, Martí founded the Cuban Revolutionary Party (PRC), aimed at uniting all Cubans in the struggle to shake off Spanish colonial rule and achieve national liberation. As this Cuban national hero stated, government must adapt to the conditions of the country. Thus, Martí early on established four basic goals: achieving national independence, social justice, economic development, and establishing Cuba’s own democratic government.

1892年，马蒂创立了旨在团结所有古巴人为摆脱西班牙殖民统治、实现民族解放而斗争的古巴革命党（PRC）。正如这位古巴民族英雄所述，政府必须适应国家的条件。因此，马蒂很早就确立了四个基本目标，即实现国家独立、社会正义、经济发展、建立古巴自己的民主政府。

As the Cuban intellectual Enrique Ubieta said, colonialism made Cuba a nation-state, while neocolonialism sought to dilute Cuba’s national identity. If Martí’s generation was anti-colonial, then Fidel’s generation was profoundly anti-neocolonial. Therefore, Martí is organically linked to the Cuban Revolution of 1959; the revolution was both socialist and a struggle for national liberation. This is also why the ideology of the Cuban Revolution originates from the thought of Marx, Lenin, Martí, and Fidel.

正如古巴知识分子恩里克·乌别塔（Enrique Ubieta）所说，殖民主义使古巴成为一个民族国家，而新殖民主义则试图淡化古巴的国家认同。如果说马蒂一代是反殖民主义的，那么菲德尔一代则是深刻反对新殖民主义的。因此，马蒂与1959年古巴革命有机地联系在一起，革命既是社会主义的，也是争取民族解放的。这也是古巴革命意识形态源自马克思、列宁、马蒂和菲德尔思想的原因。

The victory of the Cuban Revolution in January 1959 not only meant the collapse of the pro-U.S. military dictatorship but also marked the historical culmination of the fusion of Cuba’s revolutionary, progressive, and independent ideas. The Cuban Revolution was a product of Cuba’s specific national conditions, not something imposed from abroad. After putting forward the Moncada Program [1]1 The Moncada Program refers to the political and social reform platform announced by Fidel Castro during the 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks, which called for land reform, industrialization, and social justice. and the goal of social justice, the Cuban Revolution further radicalized. Faced with armed invasion by the United States, Cuba resolutely chose the path of socialism.

1959年1月古巴革命的胜利不仅意味着亲美军事独裁政权的瓦解，也标志着古巴革命、进步和独立思想的融合达到了历史高潮。古巴革命是古巴特定国情的产物，而非外国强加的结果。在提出蒙卡达纲领和社会正义目标后，古巴革命进一步激进化。面对美国的武装入侵，古巴毅然选择走社会主义道路。

On April 16, 1961, at the burial ceremony for the fallen martyrs of the Battle of Girón Beach [2]2 The Battle of Girón Beach (Bay of Pigs Invasion) was a failed U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba in April 1961, which Fidel Castro used to declare the socialist character of the revolution., Fidel Castro declared the Cuban Revolution to be socialist in nature, thereby endowing the Cuban socialist process with unprecedented symbolic significance and laying the foundation for Cuba to construct its own development model. From the very beginning, Cuba accepted an insurmountable challenge: to confront the most powerful country in the world and transform a neocolonial, backward society deeply dependent on its powerful neighbor into an independent, progressive, and just new society.

1961年4月16日，在吉隆滩战役牺牲烈士的安葬仪式上，菲德尔·卡斯特罗宣布古巴革命为社会主义性质，从而赋予了古巴社会主义进程前所未有的象征意义，为古巴构建自己的发展模式奠定了基础。古巴从一开始就接受了不可逾越的挑战，即与世界上最强大的国家对抗，将一个新殖民主义的、深深依赖强大邻国的落后社会转变为一个独立、进步和公正的新社会。

The challenges facing the Cuban Revolution have not remained constant; they have become increasingly complex with the ascendancy of imperialism and neoliberalism. Therefore, it is impossible to understand the development of world socialism and Cuban socialism outside this historical logic. Nor can one correctly evaluate the successes and failures of Cuba’s economic and social model while ignoring the U.S. blockade against Cuba. The U.S. blockade against Cuba is the longest and most unjust unilateral sanction imposed on a sovereign state in modern human history.

古巴革命面临的挑战并非一成不变，而是随着帝国主义和新自由主义的强势变得日趋复杂。因此，脱离这一历史逻辑就不可能理解世界社会主义和古巴社会主义的发展。无视美国对古巴的封锁，也不可能正确评判古巴经济社会模式的成败。美国对古巴的封锁是人类现代历史上对一个主权国家强制实施的时间最长、最不公正的单边制裁。

According to the Geneva Conventions adopted in 1948, the U.S. blockade against Cuba is a typical act of economic warfare and genocide. The Donald Trump administration imposed an unprecedentedly cruel blockade on Cuba, preventing Cuba from obtaining necessary medical equipment, other supplies, and technology during the pandemic, and also restricting Cuba’s external cooperation. The blockade has been and remains a punishment for the resistance of the Cuban people, an everyday means of hindering Cuban socialism’s pursuit of growth, progress, and economic prosperity. Therefore, the objective problems Cuba faces must never be attributed to socialism. Socialism is the only reason that explains how Cuba, the largest country in the Antilles, has been able to survive and continuously develop under a brutal blockade.

根据1948年通过的《日内瓦公约》，美国对古巴的封锁是典型的经济战争和种族灭绝行为。唐纳德·特朗普政府对古巴施行了前所未有的残酷封锁，使古巴在疫情期间无法获得必需的医疗设备、其他用品和技术，也制约着古巴的对外合作。封锁一直是且仍将是对古巴人民抵抗的一种惩罚，一种阻碍古巴社会主义谋求增长、进步和经济繁荣的日常方式。因此，绝不能将古巴面临的客观问题归咎于社会主义。社会主义是唯一能够解释古巴这个安的列斯群岛的最大国家在残酷封锁中得以生存并不断发展的原因。

An important contribution of this book lies in its elucidation of three salient features of Cuban socialism. The first is people’s democracy. Cuban leaders and the Cuban people have always maintained close ties. Cuba practices a systematic system of popular consultation and respects national consensus, so that even in the most difficult and complex moments the revolutionary regime continues to enjoy the support and trust of the overwhelming majority of the Cuban people. The second is social mission. The Cuban revolution has always placed the people at the centre of the country’s political process. The third is national unity. Faced with U.S. expansion, Cuba must unite all revolutionary forces and the broad masses of the people to struggle for the defence of national independence and sovereignty.

本书的一个重要贡献在于阐释了古巴社会主义的三个显著特征。一是人民民主。古巴领导人和古巴人民始终保持着密切的联系。古巴实行系统的人民协商制度，尊重国家共识，因此即使在最困难和复杂的时刻，革命政权仍然得到绝大多数古巴人民的支持和信任。二是社会使命。古巴革命始终将人民置于国家政治进程的中心。三是民族团结。面对美国的扩张，古巴必须团结所有革命力量和广大人民，为维护国家独立和主权而斗争。

The strategy of Cuban socialism lies in making the people the protagonists in advancing change and achieving prosperity. Prosperity concerns not only the accumulation of material wealth but also the human resources that produce wealth. Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic of Cuba, has pointed out that promoting and sustaining social justice requires economic strength and resilience, a question we must take seriously. The essence of Cuban socialism is the pursuit of social fairness and justice, achieving people-centred social change through sustained social mobilisation. Consequently, Cuban socialism very early on eradicated illiteracy, proclaimed universal free education, health care and sports, eliminated epidemic diseases, carried out mass vaccination campaigns, undertook an unprecedented land reform, and trained tens of thousands of medical personnel, including those cooperating with more than 90 countries worldwide and Cuba’s more than one million university students in medical sciences. It is precisely because of the socialist system that Cuba’s national policies on health, education, scientific research, technological innovation, environmental protection and other areas have been strengthened.

古巴社会主义的战略在于，使人民成为推进变革和实现繁荣的主角。繁荣不仅关涉物质财富的积累，更与生产财富的人力资源相关。古共中央第一书记、古巴国家主席米格尔·迪亚斯-卡内尔·贝穆德斯指出，促进并维持社会正义必须拥有经济实力和韧性，这是我们必须重视的问题。古巴社会主义的本质是追求社会公平与正义，通过持续的社会动员，实现以人为本的社会变革。因此，古巴社会主义很早就扫除了文盲，宣布实行全民免费教育、医疗和体育，消除了流行病，开展了大规模疫苗接种，进行了前所未有的土地改革，培养了数以万计的医务人员，其中包括与全球90多个国家合作的医务人员和古巴100多万名医学专业大学生。正是由于社会主义制度，古巴的卫生、教育、科研、技术创新、环境保护等国家政策才得以加强。

For more than sixty years, important goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda — such as the right to life, the right to education, the right to decent employment, the right to housing, the right to self-determination and cultural rights — have become important pillars of Cuban socialism and the fundamental guarantee for the continuous advancement of the revolutionary renewal process. Principles such as upholding Party leadership, putting people first, socialist democracy, the socialist state, socialist ownership by the whole people of the basic means of production, socialist planning as the leading system for economic and social development, defending and guaranteeing national security, and recognising equality of rights and duties in both the moral and legal sense have become the lifeline of the Cuban socialist model.

六十多年来，生命权、受教育权、体面就业权、居住权、人民自决权及文化权等联合国可持续发展议程包含的重要目标，已成为古巴社会主义的重要支柱和持续推进革命更新进程的根本保证。坚持党的领导、以人为本、社会主义民主、社会主义国家、基本生产资料的社会主义全民所有制、作为经济社会发展领导体制的社会主义计划、捍卫和保障国家安全、承认道德和法律意义上的权利与义务平等等原则，成为古巴社会主义模式的生命线。

The construction of Cuban socialism has been extremely arduous and full of challenges. Faced with epochal upheavals, Cuba has had to make major adjustments to its social and economic development within just a few decades. In the 1960s, the U.S. blockade policy caused Cuba to lose its main market. Thirty years later, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the socialist camp, Cuba again lost 80 per cent of its markets, and its GDP fell by 35 per cent. In the 1990s, the U.S. Torricelli Act and Helms-Burton Act brought the U.S. blockade policy and economic persecution of Cuba to a historical peak. These acts attempted, through “long-arm jurisdiction”, to block Cuba’s foreign trade and the participation of third-country enterprises in Cuba’s social and economic development.

古巴社会主义建设极具艰辛，充满挑战。面对时代剧变，古巴不得不在短短几十年间对社会经济发展做出重大调整。20世纪60年代，美国的封锁政策使古巴失去了主要市场。30年后，随着苏联解体和社会主义阵营的瓦解，古巴再次失去了80%的市场，国内生产总值下降了35%。20世纪90年代，美国通过的《托里切利法案》和《赫尔姆斯-伯顿法案》使其对古巴的封锁政策和经济迫害达到了历史顶点。这些法案企图通过“长臂管辖”，阻断古巴对外贸易和第三国企业对古巴社会经济发展的参与。

In April 2011, the “Guidelines of the Economic and Social Policy of the Party and the Revolution” adopted by the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba laid the foundation for the renewal of the Cuban socialist model, marking both the historical continuity of Cuban socialist construction and the opening of a new stage. The renewal of the Cuban socialist model aims to perfect Cuba’s socialist model, expand direct, horizontal and participatory people’s democracy, overcome the rigid hierarchy and bureaucracy in revolutionary practice, and create new spaces for strengthening popular unity on the basis of diversity.

2011年4月，古共六大通过的《党和革命经济与社会政策纲要》为古巴社会主义模式更新奠定了基础，标志着古巴社会主义建设的历史延续性和新阶段的开启。古巴社会主义模式更新旨在完善古巴的社会主义模式，扩大直接、横向和参与的人民民主，克服革命实践中僵化的等级制和官僚主义，为加强多样性基础上的人民团结创造新的空间。

Therefore, the renewal of the Cuban model is not limited to the economic sphere alone; it also encompasses all daily practices and discussions, and emphasises the role of the new generation in shaping the country’s future, thereby achieving the goal of building a prosperous, democratic and sustainable socialist state. The renewal of the socialist model is regarded as a continuation and perfection of the historical transformation of the Cuban revolution since 1 January 1959, aimed at ensuring the unity and irreversibility of Cuban socialism, promoting national economic development and the improvement of the people’s living standards, and fostering the formation of moral and political values among Cuban citizens.

因此，古巴模式更新并不仅仅限于经济领域，也包括所有日常实践和讨论，并强调新一代塑造国家未来的作用，从而实现建设繁荣、民主和可持续的社会主义国家的目标。社会主义模式更新被视为1959年1月1日以来古巴革命历史变革的延续和完善，旨在确保古巴社会主义的统一性和不可逆转性，推动国家经济发展和人民生活水平的提高，并促进古巴公民道德和政治价值观的形成。

Martí pointed out that revolution is doing what must be done at each moment. Fidel supplemented this incisive concept of revolution, holding that historical consciousness means changing everything that must be changed. [3]3 José Martí (1853–1895), Cuban national hero and independence leader; Fidel Castro (1926–2016), leader of the Cuban Revolution. The quotation is a well-known Martí maxim often cited by Castro. Consequently, the renewal of the Cuban socialist model aims to respond to the urgent need to build a socialism that is indigenous, original, innovative, profound, democratic, popular and participatory. This means facing major challenges such as perfecting the distribution system according to work, rectifying the financial and monetary order, and developing a Cuban-style socialist model suited to our national conditions, so as to create and guarantee better employment, housing, health care and education. In particular, it means providing safe care for children and the elderly, supplying basic goods and services to the population, maintaining and consolidating the collective sense of belonging of the Cuban people to the Cuban socialist political programme, and enabling the younger generation to make greater contributions to building a democratic and fair society. It also means that, after the stable and orderly generational transition in the Party and the state, Cuba must make the construction of the socialist system one of the main pillars of the revolution, uniting the Cuban people around the Communist Party of Cuba and the Party’s new generation of leading collective. It is necessary to deepen democracy, dialogue, discussion and collective consultation, making them irreplaceable tools for building consensus, giving full play to the role of institutions, and overcoming informal decision-making.

马蒂指出，革命就是做每一刻该做的事。菲德尔对这一精湛的革命概念进行了补充，认为历史意识就是改变一切必须改变的东西。因此，古巴社会主义模式更新旨在回应建立本土的、原创的、革新的、深刻的、民主的、大众的和参与的社会主义的迫切需要。这意味着要面对一些重大挑战，如完善按劳分配制度，整顿金融货币秩序，并发展古巴特色的社会主义模式，以适应我们的国情，创造和保证更好的就业、住房、医疗和教育。尤其是为儿童和老人提供安全的照顾，为民众提供基本的商品和服务，维护和巩固古巴人民对古巴社会主义政治纲领的集体归属感，使年轻一代能够为建设一个民主公平的社会作出更大的贡献。这也意味着，在党和国家实现稳定有序的代际更替后，古巴要把社会主义制度建设作为革命的主要支撑之一，使古巴人民团结在古巴共产党和党的新一代领导集体周围。要深化民主、对话、讨论和集体协商，使其成为建立共识、发挥制度作用、克服非正式决策不可替代的工具。

Perfecting the Cuban economic and social model should consolidate the vanguard role of the Communist Party of Cuba as the fundamental guarantee of the continuity of the Cuban revolution; consolidate socialist democracy, the rule of law and social justice led by the people; consolidate the dominant position of socialist ownership by the whole people of the basic means of production, while recognising and promoting the coexistence and development of multiple forms of ownership and management; comprehensively reform the planning system that leads economic and social development; devolve power to local governments and give full play to the role of grassroots government; consolidate the dominant position of distribution according to work, adhering to the socialist principle of distribution according to the quality, quantity, complexity and social contribution of work; continuously perfect socialist social policies so that they are sustainable; and continuously perfect the role of the state as economic manager, representative of ownership by the whole people, and representative of administrative organs at all levels, while further perfecting people’s democratic participation at all levels.

完善古巴经济社会模式，应巩固古巴共产党的先锋队作用，使其成为古巴革命保持延续性的根本保障；巩固由人民主导的社会主义民主、法治和社会正义；巩固基本生产资料社会主义全民所有制的主体地位，承认和促进多种所有制和管理方式并存与发展；全面改革领导经济社会发展的计划体制；向地方政府下放权力，充分发挥基层政府的作用；巩固按劳分配的主体地位，坚持按工作质量、数量、复杂程度及社会贡献进行分配的社会主义原则；不断完善社会主义社会政策，使其具有可持续性；不断完善国家作为经济管理者、全民所有制代表和各层级行政机关代表的作用，进一步完善各级人民民主参与。

At present, Cuban socialism must carry out economic structural renewal to solve the problems of irrational production structure and backward technology, especially those in the production chain that cause sluggish economic growth, low productivity levels and high dependence on imports. First, investment should be further expanded to promote the modernisation and sustainable development of infrastructure, especially in the areas of water conservancy, transport, logistics, housing and communications. Second, the economic management system should be continuously perfected to promote the development and complementarity of various economic actors and their contribution to sustainable development. In addition, seeking more favourable and more dynamic international integration is crucial for Cuba; this will help improve the people’s welfare, promote economic and social development, achieve a fairer and more reasonable distribution, and ensure that everyone is protected and cared for.

当前，古巴社会主义须进行经济结构更新，解决生产结构不合理和技术落后问题，尤其是生产链中导致经济增长迟缓、生产力水平低下及高度依赖进口的问题。首先，应进一步扩大投资，促进基础设施现代化和可持续发展，特别是在水利、运输、物流、住房和通信领域。其次，应不断完善经济管理体制，促进各经济主体的发展、互补，使其对可持续发展有所贡献。此外，寻求更有利和更具活力的国际融入对古巴至关重要，这将有助于增进人民福祉，促进经济社会发展，实现更公平和更合理的分配，使所有人得到保护和照顾。

The fact that the Cuban revolution has not committed any strategic errors does not mean there are no problems to be solved; these problems stem mainly from the external environment and economic mistakes. Although these problems will continue to seriously affect Cuba, it is certain that neither the hostile policy of the United States, the global economic crisis, the great pandemic, nor climate change can destroy the viability of Cuban socialism.

古巴革命没有犯任何战略错误并不意味着没有需要解决的问题，这些问题主要源于外部环境和经济方面的错误。尽管这些问题仍将严重影响古巴，但可以肯定的是，无论是美国的敌对政策、全球经济危机、大流疫，还是气候变化，都无法摧毁古巴社会主义的可行性。

This book explores in depth the achievements, problems and challenges of Cuban socialism from both historical and contemporary perspectives, discusses the stages, principles and objectives of the model’s renewal, and focuses on explaining the adjustment and renewal of Cuba’s macroeconomic policy, the restructuring and innovation of strategic economic sectors, ideological and cultural construction, the development of science and education, environmental protection, social governance and foreign strategy. The above aspects are important pillars for Cuba’s internal transformation, and this book correctly defines them as “a development path toward prosperity, democracy and sustainability”.

本书从历史和现实角度深入探讨了古巴社会主义的成就、问题与挑战，论述了模式更新的阶段、原则和目标，重点阐释了古巴宏观经济政策的调整和更新、战略经济部门的重组和创新、思想文化建设、科学教育的发展、环境保护、社会治理及外交战略等内容。上述方面是古巴实现内部变革的重要支撑，本书将其正确地定义为“面向繁荣、民主与可持续的发展道路”。

Another success of this book lies in its affirmation and elucidation of the indisputable core role of Fidel Castro’s thought and practice. Fidel Castro provided answers to nearly all major historical and contemporary issues concerning the vital interests and future destiny of the Cuban people and the peoples of the world. Together with Marxism-Leninism and Martí’s thought, Fidel Castro’s thought offers a theoretical reference for Cuba’s construction of socialism suited to its national conditions, rooted in immutable basic principles such as justice, equality, solidarity, internationalism, multilateralism, and the self-determination of peoples.

本书的另一成功之处在于肯定并阐释了菲德尔·卡斯特罗思想和实践无可争议的核心作用。菲德尔·卡斯特罗几乎对所有关涉古巴及世界人民切身利益与前途命运的重大历史与现实问题都给予了回答。菲德尔·卡斯特罗思想与马克思列宁主义、马蒂思想一起，为古巴建设符合本国国情的社会主义提供了理论参考，其根基在于公正、平等、团结、国际主义、多边主义和人民自决等不可改变的基本原则。

As is widely recognized, Fidel was able to grasp the pulse of the times, correctly assess the pattern of the two systems [4]4 The “two systems” refers to the global configuration of the socialist and capitalist camps during the Cold War, a framework central to Fidel Castro’s geopolitical analysis., find solutions to global challenges, lead Cuba’s national liberation and anti-imperialist struggle, and provide an inexhaustible impetus for humanity to advance the cause of socialism and communism and achieve a better future. He pointed out early on that socialism is the only way for humanity to break the shackles of capitalism and imperialism, and that each country has its own revolutionary method and its own way of interpreting revolutionary thought.

正如人们所公认的那样，菲德尔能够把握时代脉搏，正确研判两制格局，找到应对全球挑战的方案，领导古巴民族解放和反帝国主义斗争，为人类推进社会主义和共产主义事业、实现更美好的未来提供了不竭动力。他很早就指出，社会主义是人类打破资本主义和帝国主义枷锁的唯一途径，每个国家都有自己的革命方式和对革命思想的解释方式。

Regarding socialism, Fidel unhesitatingly regarded the struggle for national independence and people’s liberation as the main goal of the Cuban Revolution, and took the socialist path as the sole means of achieving this goal. He firmly advocated proletarian internationalism, political equality, economic equality, and social equality, viewing them as the concentrated expression of the superiority of socialism and as principles that must be upheld forever.

关于社会主义，菲德尔毫不犹豫地将争取民族独立和人民解放视为古巴革命的主要目标，并将社会主义道路作为实现这一目标的唯一途径。他坚定地倡导无产阶级国际主义、政治平等、经济平等和社会平等，并将其视为社会主义优越性的集中体现和必须永远坚持下去的原则。

Regarding Party building, Fidel always considered the Party to be the soul of the Cuban Revolution, the embodiment of its ideals, principles, and strength. Advancing Party building was one of Fidel’s most important historical contributions. He always called on the Party to maintain close ties with the masses and to preserve the Party’s ideological purity and organizational capacity. Fidel believed that the Party should not only be the vanguard of the working class, but should also become the faithful representative of the interests of the nation and the people.

关于党的建设，菲德尔始终认为党是古巴革命的灵魂，是古巴革命理想、原则和力量的体现。推进党的建设是菲德尔最重要的历史贡献之一。他始终号召党密切联系群众，保持党的思想纯洁和组织能力。菲德尔认为，党不仅是工人阶级的先锋队，还应成为国家和民族利益的忠实代表。

Resolute opposition to capitalist globalization was Fidel’s fundamental stance in discussing international issues. He believed that globalization is a natural law of world historical development and an inevitable result of the progress of humanity’s productive forces; the globalization we oppose is the globalization of neoliberalism, a globalization that serves as a tool for imperialist exploitation and control of the world market and for the recolonization of the Third World. Fidel condemned the aggressiveness of imperialism, considered its demise inevitable, and long called on all countries of the world to unite in the face of global challenges such as hunger, migration, the environment, war, and terrorism.

坚决反对资本主义全球化是菲德尔讨论国际问题的根本立场。他认为，全球化是世界历史发展的自然规律，是人类生产力进步的必然结果，我们所反对的全球化是新自由主义的全球化，是作为帝国主义剥削和控制世界市场、重新殖民第三世界工具的全球化。菲德尔谴责帝国主义的侵略性，认为其必然灭亡，并长期呼吁世界各国在面对饥饿、移民、环境、战争和恐怖主义等全球性挑战时团结起来。

Therefore, Cuban socialism is synonymous with and the institutional guarantee of national independence and national self-determination. Cuba has always been committed to building an independent, socialist, prosperous, democratic, and sustainable sovereign state, and on the basis of consolidating its construction achievements, it continuously advances development strategies and public policies that confront challenges. The solidarity and cooperation advocated by Cuba are based on mutual respect, selfless assistance, and complementarity; “sharing what one has, not what is left over” is a principle Cuba has always upheld. Cuba will continue to strengthen the unity of its people, advance its development plans, improve its economic and social model, and remain confident in the future. We believe that Cuba, through its own efforts, will surely overcome all obstacles.

因此，古巴社会主义是国家独立和民族自决的同义词和制度保障。古巴始终致力于建设一个独立的、社会主义的、繁荣、民主和可持续的主权国家，在巩固建设成就的基础上，不断推进直面挑战的发展战略和公共政策。古巴倡导的团结合作以相互尊重、无私援助、互补性为基础，“分享所拥有而非剩余的东西”是古巴始终坚持的原则。古巴将继续加强人民团结，推进发展计划，改善经济社会模式，并对未来充满信心。我们相信，古巴通过自身努力，一定能克服一切障碍。

Although Cuba and China are far apart, the socialist processes of the two countries share common goals and basic features in a universal historical sense. At the same time, due to differences in national conditions and geopolitical development environments, the two countries have different political, economic, social, cultural, and historical characteristics. Both experiences have produced effective concrete results, forming political processes centered on the people.

尽管古巴和中国相距遥远，但两国的社会主义进程具有普遍历史意义上的共同目标和基本特征。与此同时，两国因国情和地缘发展环境的不同，又有具有不同的政治、经济、社会、文化和历史特点。两种经验都产生了有效的具体结果，形成了以人民为中心的政治进程。

In recent years, the two countries have attached great importance to exchanging and learning from each other’s distinctive experiences in socialist construction, and have established the practice of mutual notification on major matters in the internal and external work of the two parties and two states, which has effectively promoted the development of the socialist cause on both sides.

近年来，两国高度重视交流互鉴各具特色的社会主义建设经验，建立了相互通报两党两国内外工作重大事项的惯例，有力地促进了双方社会主义事业的发展。

The first China-Cuba Theoretical Seminar between the two parties, held in September 2014, established an institutionalized platform for deepening theoretical exchanges between the two parties in the new period. The fourth China-Cuba Theoretical Seminar between the two parties, held in March 2022, took “Strengthening Party Building and Forging Ahead on the New Journey of Socialism in China and Cuba in the New Era” as its theme, and conducted experience exchanges on topics such as Party leadership over economic and social development, Marxist ideological education, cadre training, youth work, Party-mass relations, grassroots Party organization building, Party history and national history education, reform and opening up experience, scientific and technological innovation, the fight against the epidemic, and the use of information and communication technologies to counter ideological subversion in unconventional warfare.

2014年9月召开的首届中古两党理论研讨会为深入推进新时期两党理论交流搭建了机制化平台。2022年3月召开的第四届中古两党理论研讨会以“加强党的建设，奋进新时代中古社会主义新征程”为主题，围绕党领导经济社会发展、马克思主义思想教育、干部培养、青年工作、党群关系、党的基层组织建设、党史国史教育、改革开放经验、科技创新、抗疫斗争及利用信息通信技术应对非常规战争中的意识形态颠覆等问题，进行了经验交流。

At the opening ceremony of the fourth China-Cuba Theoretical Seminar between the two parties, leaders of both parties delivered speeches. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that, in the face of new circumstances and new tasks, the theoretical seminar between the Chinese and Cuban parties was timely and of great significance for the two countries to explore socialist development paths suited to their respective national conditions. First Secretary Miguel Díaz-Canel pointed out that the two parties and two states should learn from each other’s experiences in socialist construction, focus on common concerns, and further deepen their strategic consensus.

在第四届中古两党理论研讨会开幕式上，两党领导人分别致辞。习近平总书记强调，面对新形势新任务，中古两党进行理论研讨恰逢其时，对两国探索符合本国国情的社会主义发展道路具有重要意义。米格尔·迪亚斯-卡内尔第一书记指出，两党两国应相互学习社会主义建设经验，聚焦共同关切，进一步深化双方战略共识。

The Central Report of the Eighth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba explicitly mentioned China and affirmed China’s undeniable progress in the political, economic, and social spheres. This indicates that Cuban leaders attach great importance to the special strategic relationship with China. The Eighth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba also proposed, on the basis of traditional friendship and solidarity between the two countries, to further consolidate the good relations between the two parties and two states, and to develop bilateral economic cooperation in various fields conducive to advancing Cuba’s 2030 National Economic and Social Development Plan.

古巴共产党在古共八大中心报告中明确提到了中国，并肯定了中国在政治、经济和社会领域取得的不可否认的进步。这表明，古巴领导人高度重视与中国特殊的战略关系。古共八大还提出，要在两国传统友谊与团结的基础上，进一步巩固两党两国的良好关系，在各领域开展有助于推进古巴2030年经济社会发展计划的双边经济合作。

Cuba and China have always been committed to maintaining world peace and stand united in firmly defending true multilateralism, international law, and the basic principles of the United Nations Charter. The two countries have consistently opposed various blockades and unilateral coercive measures, opposed political campaigns and political pressure against sovereign states, and opposed the stigmatization and politicization of related issues.

古巴和中国始终致力于维护世界和平，在坚定捍卫真正的多边主义、国际法及《联合国宪章》基本原则方面保持团结一致。两国一贯反对各种封锁和单边强制措施，反对针对主权国家的政治运动和政治压迫，反对将相关问题污名化和政治化。

At this critical moment in the development of Cuban socialism, I, on behalf of the Communist Party of Cuba, the Cuban government, and the Cuban people, congratulate the publication of this book. This book also embodies the valuable wisdom of many Chinese researchers, who have devoted boundless knowledge and inspiration to the study of Cuba. I hope that Chinese readers will read this book and enrich their understanding and knowledge of Cuban socialism.

在古巴社会主义发展的关键时刻，我谨代表古巴共产党、古巴政府和古巴人民，祝贺该书的出版。本书还体现了中国许多研究人员的宝贵智慧，他们为古巴研究奉献了无尽的知识和启迪。我期待中国读者能够阅读这本书，并丰富他们对古巴社会主义的理解和认识。

Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in the People’s Republic of China

古巴共和国驻中华人民共和国大使

Carlos Miguel Pereira Hernández

卡洛斯·米格尔·佩雷拉·埃尔南德斯

May 18, 2022

2022年5月18日