CHINA urged the US to immediately end its blockade and coercive pressure on Cuba, denouncing illegal unilateral sanctions lacking an international-law basis and calling on Washington to stop infringing Cubans' rights to subsistence and development. The statement followed Cuban President Miguel Díaz‑Canel's request that the UN General Assembly hold a special session on July 7 after he warned the US blockade had reached a 'critical level' and constituted a threat of genocide.