Havana (Reuters) – Cuba and China signed Saturday an agreement to promote biotechnology among both Nations cooperation and promote research for the development of vaccines.
China has injected billions of dollars in loans to Cuba in recent years, it has become its main creditor and its second largest trading partner after Venezuela, which is its economic ally number one in the world.
“Cuba and China today drew its lines of work in biotechnological research in the next five years 2012-2016, aimed at strengthening the Exchange in that discipline,” said the News Agency Prensa Latina, citing a two day meeting between authorities scientific of both countries.
Beijing and Havana signed an agreement between the Chinese company Hualan Biological Bacterial and the Finlay Institute in Cuba, aimed at the research for the development of vaccines, said the Agency.
The Minister of science, technology and environment of Cuba, José Miyar Barruecos, said that “collaboration in the biotechnology field between Cuba and China is strategic in nature”.
A Chinese diplomatic source in Havana said that more than 200 companies in his country have trade relations with Cuba. And more than 20 companies and Cuban entities have been established in Beijing, Hangzhou, Shenzhsen and other cities in the nation Asian.
Beijing reported that during the last decade bilateral trade increased from 440 million dollars (332 million euros) in 2001 to 1.830 million dollars in 2010, according to figures official.
Cuba currently produces 38 medicinal products which are marketed in about 40 countries.
The island laboratories produced vaccines against meningitis B and C, leptospirosis, typhoid fever and a synthetic against haemophilus influenzae vaccine type B, the main causes of meningitis and other infections kids.
