by Xinhua Writer Huang Yinjiazi

BEIJING Nike Vapormax Flyknit 2018 , July 22 (Xinhua) -- China and Cuba, two traditional friends sharing a lot in visions and beliefs, are seeking closer ties as Havana moves to update its economy under the shadow of a half-century-old U.S. embargo.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro during his ongoing visit to Cuba, the last stop of his four-nation Latin America tour, with a goal to translate the bilateral high-level political relations into rich results of practical cooperation.

In 1960, Cuba took the lead among countries in the Western Hemisphere to establish diplomatic relations with New China Nike Vapormax 2018 , opening a new chapter of China's relations with Cuba and with Latin America.

China-Cuba relationship has since withstood the test of a constantly-changing international landscape.

Also in the 1960s, the United States, one of the world's two sole super powers then, imposed economic sanctions on Cuba to punish its leadership's intention to align itself with the Soviet Union, the other super power, putting the island nation in a sensitive geopolitical position.

As the world becomes more multipolarized Nike Vapormax Flyknit Mens , and peace and development have become more important factors in governing country-to-country relations, China-Cuba cooperation has shifted from politics to economy and has been galloping on a fast track.

China has been a rising key foreign investor in Cuba especially after 2012 when world countries, developed and developing countries alike, were battered by a devastating financial crisis.

China granted free assistance and interest-free loans to Cuba to promote bilateral economic and technological cooperation, and undertook several large-scale infrastructure projects in Cuba.

For years, China has been Cuba's second-largest trading partner Nike Vapormax Mens , while Cuba is China's largest partner in the Caribbean, with bilateral annual trade standing at a little less than 2 billion U.S. dollars.

While China, now the world's second-largest economy, has never been a back-seat driver for Cuba's development, the island nation still faces tough economic and social challenges largely due to Washington's unwillingness to lift its decades-old embargo despite criticism from even its allies.

Though the U.S. sanctions have evolved in various ways, they are outdated and irrational Nike Vapormax Flyknit Womens , bringing nothing but sufferings to Cuba's 11 million people.

Against all the odds, the Cuban government has been phasing in a series of economic reforms in recent years to revitalize its stagnant economy, encouraging enterprises and lifting restrictions on such fields as property use, travel and farming.

Havana's reform drive creates new opportunities for deepening its cooperation with China, and the world's other major economies, especially the United States Nike Vapormax Womens , also need to seriously consider the new developments and rethink their policy toward Cuba.

For Washington, the first step should be lifting its sanctions. Instead of being an obstacle on Cuba's path of development, the United States should join China and other countries to become Cuba's constructive partners in efforts to achieve prosperity, which will benefit not only the Caribbean country, but also the Untied States itself.

US composer Philip Glass poses for photographers at a press conference on January 13 in Linz,Austria. Photo:CFP

The Kennedy Center Nike Vapormax Flyknit , the giant arts complex in Washington, on Wednesday announced a new bid to shake off its staid reputation with a festival of risque and genre-blurring performances.

Opening next year, the Direct Current festival will bring 80-year-old Philip Glass, often considered the leading living US composer, to the national arts center for the first time.

Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter said that Direct Current, which she intends to make an annual event Nike Vapormax , was part of a mission to present works that are "fresh and provocative."

Rutter, who has led the Kennedy Center since 2014, said the national institution needed to be asking "where are we collectively in contemporary culture."

There should be no "art that doesn't have a home here. We are not a museum," she told reporters.

The 10-day program in March 2018 will open with the drag cabaret artist Taylor Mac recreating A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, presented last year to acclaim in a 24-hour marathon at a New York theater.

Taylor Mac, whose project aims to sum up music since 1776 Cheap Nike Air Vapormax Flyknit , will condense the project for the Kennedy Center and gear the performance to Washington, whose contributions to musical history include the funk offshoot of go-go and hardcore punk.

Direct Current will also feature the National Symphony Orchestra performing The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the oratorio by John Adams that depicts the last days of Jesus from the view of his disciple Mary Magdalene.

The Kennedy Center - traditionally separated in sections that include opera, music and dance - will use the festival to present more works that merge categories including Koyaanisqatsi, in which Glass set music to an experimental film on natural landscapes.

Direct Current will complement KC Jukebox, a program of contemporary music that will enter its third season in 2017-18 with performers including Mouse on Mars Cheap Nike Air Vapormax , the playful and innovative German electronic duo.

KC Jukebox will also see the Kennedy Center atrium transformed with Bedouin tents as visitors soak in music by composer-in-residence Mason Bates and other artists with a theme of California mysticism.

The announcements of the more risque works come as new US President Donald Trump's administration vows to slash cultural funding as part of cuts to government spending other than the military.

Opened in 1971 as a "living memorial" to slain president John F. Kennedy, the imposing building on the Potomac River is maintained by the federal .