China firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its sovereignty and national dignity and opposing external interference, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to a query about the US recent indictment against Cuban revolutionary leader Raul Castro.

Guo said China always firmly opposes illegal unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorized by the United Nations Security Council.

Castro, the 94-year-old former president of Cuba, was charged by the US Department of Justice alongside five other co-defendants over his alleged role in the 1996 shoot-down of two US aircraft, an incident that killed four people.

(With input from Xinhua)