President Joe Biden is making some final foreign policy moves with less than a week left in office. His latest actions address U.S. relations with two adversaries: Cuba and China.
Biden will drop Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and reverse some of then-President Donald Trump’s actions tightening U.S. policies toward Cuba.
In return, Cuba will release hundreds of political prisoners before Biden leaves office, according to senior Biden administration officials speaking anonymously. In total, Cuba says it will release 553 people as part of the deal, brokered by the Catholic Church.
President-elect Trump will have the power to reverse the declaration. His pick for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is the son of Cuban immigrants who fled before the current ruling communist government took power in 1959. Rubio has called for more sanctions against Cuba.
Biden also sent Congress notice asking them to approve agreements with three Asia-Pacific countries: Thailand, Palau and the Marshall Islands.
All three deals could help the U.S. build alliances in a region where China is asserting its control.
The deal with Thailand is a 30-year nuclear cooperation agreement that calls for sharing unclassified nuclear equipment to help Thailand produce energy.
Meanwhile, the deals with Palau and the Marshall Islands are free association agreements. The U.S. provides services like disaster relief and postal infrastructure in exchange for a U.S. military presence in the countries.
The incoming Trump administration has not signaled major opposition to these deals. The president-elect will work to rein in China’s global influence during his term.
