Cuba Opens 176-Reform Push to Direct Foreign Trade as US Sanctions Tighten
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 30
Cuba Opens 176-Reform Push to Direct Foreign Trade as US Sanctions Tighten
3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 30
Summary
Cuba said some of its biggest economic changes could start this week, letting private firms import and export directly, easing foreign hiring rules and widening real-estate rights for overseas investors.
Deputy Trade Minister Carlos Luis Jorge Méndez said the measures are part of 176 reforms approved in June and should be written into law by year-end, calling them a lasting shift rather than a temporary experiment.
The opening comes as the Trump administration intensifies pressure with an oil blockade and fresh sanctions announced Aug. 20, while Méndez said direct U.S.-Cuba talks have broken off until both sides find common ground.
Analysts and entrepreneurs welcomed the June package, but some warn permanence is uncertain because Cuba may need constitutional changes; earlier private-sector openings during the Obama-era thaw were later rolled back.