A congress to change Cuba
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Changes to legal regulations will facilitate the purchase and sale of houses and cars, increase the amount of idle land that can be awarded to agricultural producers and the provision of credit to self-employed workers. The approval of these measures signifies that the leadership was prepared to face reality square-on and take decisive measures to solve problems.
But the Congress ruled out any form of "shock therapy", instead insisting on a cautious and gradual approach. Raul Castro said "the updating of the Economic Model is full of complexities and interrelations that one way or another, touch on every aspect of the society as a whole," adding that "it will take at least five years to implement it comprehensively and harmoniously."
The Congress also touched on the issue of political reform, ruling that politicians be limited to two five-year terms, in an effort to rejuvenate the political system, and encourage decentralization and a less bureaucratic style.
Overall, the Congress implemented economic and political measures that will have a profound influence on the lives and work of individual Cuban citizens. In spite of the gradual approach adopted, the changes are sure to have far-reaching effects on Cuban society. Cuba has for a long time been paying close attention to and drawing lessons from other developing counties including China.
The Congress mainly focused on opening up internal markets and making the national economy more dynamic, rather than opening to the outside world. So in the short term there will be little obvious change to economic and trade relations with China, but from a long term and strategic point of view, this Congress could have a profound effect upon Sino-Latin American relations as a whole.
The author is the director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Nankai University, and Secretary-General of the China Association for Latin American Historical Studies.
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