Key facts
- The State Department said CEIEC and Beijing H&C Technologies supplied Cuba's military through Sociedad Mercantil Duna.
- The designations covered eight entities, two individuals and five vessels, per the State Department statement.
- OFAC widened authority so foreign persons in Cuba's manufacturing, technology, electronics or marine sectors face potential penalties.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba's ruling elite hoards energy, shipping and technology resources for its own enrichment.
- Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez cited an "energy siege equivalent to a naval blockade" in a post on X.
- The State Department said the measures target the regime and those who facilitate it, not the Cuban people, and humanitarian trade remains authorized.
The US State Department said on November 5, 2026 that it had designated China National Electronic Import and Export Company, or CEIEC, and Beijing H&C Technologies for supplying equipment and components to Cuba's military. The department said both worked through Sociedad Mercantil Duna, a Cuban arms procurement company it had already sanctioned on August 6 for facilitating arms imports from China and Russia to Cuba's Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces.
The action covered eight entities, two individuals and five vessels identified as blocked property, according to the State Department statement. Alongside the two Chinese firms, the designations hit shipping companies CAROIL Transport Marine Ltd, TENTACOOL Commercial Inc, Internacional Maritima S.A. and PETROMARCA, and the vessels Esperanza, Gloria C, Maria Cristina, Emilia and Lourdes. Cuban state technology entities CUBAELECTRONICA and TECNOSIME were also listed, as was Any Rodriguez Lastres, daughter of GAESA president Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera.
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control separately issued a determination widening secondary sanctions authority, so any foreign person operating in Cuba's manufacturing, technology, electronics or maritime sectors may face penalties. The State Department said the measure targets the regime and those who facilitate it, not the Cuban people, and that humanitarian trade in food, medicines and medical devices remains authorized.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that Cuba's ruling elite hoards the island's energy, shipping and technology resources for its own enrichment, leaving ordinary Cubans with blackouts, shortages and a stagnant economy. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez responded on X, citing an "unprecedented reinforcement" of the US economic blockade over the past 10 months and an "energy siege equivalent to a naval blockade."
The designations were made under Executive Order 14404, which President Trump signed on May 1, 2026. The State Department's July report, "Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism," documents China operating three of 18 Cuban signals intelligence facilities. CEIEC was sanctioned by the Treasury in November 2020 over support for Venezuela's government.