Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, once a Cuban spy and now the national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), stirred up social media over the weekend. His latest post advocated for the continued relevance of socialism as both a political and economic system.
Hernández Nordelo took to his X account, posting: "Pro-Yankee lackeys claim socialism doesn't work. Last time I checked, China was a socialist state led by a single party, the Communist Party of China. Of course, it hasn't been under a 65-year blockade by an empire..."
Accompanying his post was a video juxtaposing alleged scenes of homelessness in the United States with images of a "clean" city in China, complete with a modern subway system.
The tweet ignited a wave of criticism and replies questioning not only his view of global realities but also highlighting the severe economic, social, and political turmoil Cuba continues to face after over sixty years of communist governance.
Contradictory Comparisons
Numerous users pointed out the clear contradiction in equating China's system, which melds political control with economic market liberalization, with Cuba's model, which has maintained a stringent state monopoly while disallowing full economic freedoms.
A particularly incisive comment read: "If socialism worked, Cubans wouldn't have to flee. China progresses because it did the opposite of Cuba—it opened markets and allowed private wealth. Cuba's failure is political, not external."
Another user remarked, "China has a capitalist economy... and what you're showing there is the city. Rural Chinese are starving," highlighting the disparity between China's modern urban areas and its struggling rural regions.
Challenging the Official Narrative
Responses to the tweet clearly demonstrated skepticism towards the official narrative. Many posts reminded readers that the so-called "blockade" cited by Hernández is not the actual cause of Cuba's prolonged economic stagnation or its lack of freedoms.
"What blockade? The only blockade Cuba has is the one imposed by its regime on its citizens," wrote one user, emphasizing that governmental control over society and the economy is the main reason behind the daily hardships faced by Cubans.
The comparison to China was also contested in several comments pointing out that the Asian nation is not a traditional example of socialism. Instead, it’s an economy that has incorporated market mechanisms and international openness, which Cuba has never allowed.
Officialist Voice Amidst Frustration
Hernández Nordelo is not only an official voice from his position leading the CDR, an organization established in 1960 to monitor Cuban neighborhoods, but he was also part of the "Five Heroes" group. These individuals were imprisoned in the United States for espionage in 1998 and released in 2014 following a prisoner exchange between Washington and Havana.
His posts attempt to counter critical narratives about socialism and the regime's policies, yet they only highlight the deep frustrations of countless Cubans due to the persistence of a political model that causes stagnation and repression.
While Hernández Nordelo seeks to validate Cuba's system by drawing parallels with China, many citizens remind him that the true reason for Cuba's stagnation is a model that has not allowed economic or political freedom, plunging the nation into a crisis that goes beyond any external embargo.
Understanding the Cuban and Chinese Political Systems
How does China's political system differ from Cuba's?
China combines strict political control with economic market liberalization, allowing private enterprise and foreign investment, unlike Cuba's state-controlled economy that restricts economic freedoms.
Why do critics say that Cuba's problems stem from internal policies rather than external factors?
Critics argue that the Cuban government's restrictive control over the economy and lack of political freedoms are the main reasons for the country's hardships, not the external embargo.