Cuba gives U.S. cold shoulder at trade fair
Maybe it was just coincidence, maybe just unfortunate planning, but the American pavilion at this week’s International Trade Fair in Cuba was incredibly hard to find.
It wasn’t listed on the programs or maps around the 5 acres of fairgrounds that hosted representatives from more than 70 countries. There were plenty of signs pointing visitors to the German section, the luxurious Venezuelan exhibits and the Brazilian pavilion. But even the Cuban government official I was walking around with had no clue where to find the Yankees.
We thought we were getting close as we crossed through a group of Spanish pavilions. After walking around a pig-roasting stand and passing under a giant poster of a Cuban rooster, we finally found it, in a building promoting “light industries.”
Understand, Cuba is an island where symbolism is important. Images of Che Guevara and other revolutionary heroes line the streets. Fidel Castro is legendary for his long, hyperbolic speeches filled with metaphors comparing the U.S. to every evil empire in human history. And after the U.S. government finally returned young Elián Gonzalez after an intense political battle with Cuba, the Cubans erected a statue of its national hero, José Martí, holding a baby in one hand and pointing straight at the U.S. Embassy building with the other.
So what was the message behind placing the dozens of American businesses that came to Cuba trying to explore new trade opportunities right next to the rear parking lot of the fair?
“The message is, ‘Get in line,’ ” Gustavo Arnavat says.
The Cuban-American businessman was part of a delegation led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that was hosting the first board of directors meeting of its newly formed U.S.-Cuba Business Council in coordination with the fair. That meeting was meant to show the interest of American companies following President Obama’s December decision to re-establish diplomatic relations with the longtime foe and open new trade possibilities for U.S. businesses.
But rather than welcome the move with open arms, Arnavat says the Cubans have remained cautious, stressing that their relationship with the U.S. can nev- er be completely normalized so long as the economic embargo on Cuba is in place. He says the Cubans are also trying to make clear that they refuse to be completely dependent on American investment, almost showing off how many other countries are eager to deal with Cuba.
Those sentiments were on clear display all week. During a round of speeches to inaugurate the fair on Monday, the only mention of the U.S. focused on the “blockade” the Americans maintain on the island. In the state-run Granma newspaper, an article highlighted nations that were new at this year’s fair, including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Puerto Rico.
Never mind that Puerto Rico is a U.S. commonwealth — the point was obvious.
“They’re saying, ‘Just because you represent the largest economy in the world doesn’t mean we’re not going to look at other countries,’ ” says Arnavat, who has served as the U.S. executive director of the Inter-American Development Bank.
There’s no question that many American companies made significant progress in their negotiations with the Cubans this week. I saw a steady stream of Cuban government officials stopping in at the pavilion and sitting down with American wine makers, tractor manufacturers and other companies.
But the hesitance of the Cubans has been seen in other areas, including a slowdown in Cuban imports from the U.S.
Starting in 2000, American businesses have been allowed to sell humanitarian goods to the impoverished island. For years, Americans maintained a steady flow of products to Cuba, peaking with more than $711 million in exports in 2008.
But since Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro made their announcement in December, those shipments have plummeted. Exports to Cuba have fallen each of the past four months, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, and U.S. companies are on track to record their weakest year of trading with Cuba since 2002, when the exports were just getting started.
Maybe that’s a coincidence. Some feel trade has dropped because the Cubans are using the potential influx of U.S. goods as a negotiating tactic to strike better deals with other countries. Others feel Cuba is simply strapped for cash, forcing it to curb U.S. imports since that’s the only country that doesn’t grant the Cubans credit.
Whatever the reason for the trade slowdown or America’s unfortunate placement at the fair, it’s clear Cuba is sending a notso-subtle hint. We have to wait and see if that means this relationship will never really blossom, or if Americans are willing to see it through.
Let’s hope the answer is easier to find than the U.S. pavilion.
Rather than welcome the re-established diplomatic relations with open arms, Cubans have been cautious