HAVANA, Aug 31, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Saturday he has begun a tour of Asia that will take him to China, Laos and Vietnam, his main commercial ally on the continent.

Diaz-Canel's trip comes as Cuba, which counts 10.9 million inhabitants, faces a severe economic crisis, while global trade has been shaken by US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs.

"This weekend we begin official visits to Vietnam, China, and Laos, sister nations with whom we share close ties and a history of shared cooperation and solidarity, tested by time and the greatest challenges," Diaz-Canel wrote on X.

Vietnam is Cuba's leading Asian investor, with bilateral trade amounting to some $340 million since commercial relations began in 2020, according to Cuba's Center for International Policy Research.

Vietnam exports rice, coal, chemicals, textiles and electronic parts to Cuba, and mainly imports pharmaceutical products from the island.

Cuba has recently allowed Vietnamese company Agri VAM to grow rice on 1,000 hectares west of Havana. Vietnam has advised Cuba on rice cultivation in the past but this is the first time a private firm has done the farming itself.

Rice is a staple of the local diet, with Cubans consuming 60 kilos (132 pounds) of rice per person per year.