古巴裔美国人对家乡的大计划

The U-S and Cuba are re-establishing diplomatic relations for the first time in more than five decades. This is a time of political, diplomatic and economic transition for the two. And it just might be the Cuban-American community that helps boost those ties. CCTV's Michael Voss meets one Cuban-American who has big plans to change the country of his birth.

Hugo Cancio is a Cuban-American entrepreneur who has homes in both Miami and Havana.

Among his many business interests is a glossy magazine called OnCuba. He employs a group of young journalists in Havana while the magazine is printed and distributed in the United States and on most charter flights to Cuba.

"I think for the past 50 years American news media have portrayed the ugly side of my country that I love so much. So, I thought that, because US-Cuba policy was about to change we needed to educate the American people about what the Cuban people is all about, what Cuban society is all about," Cancio said.

Cancio left Cuba in 1980, at the age of 16, aboard a small boat heading to Florida. He was one of the 125-thousand Cubans who were allowed to leave Cuba from the port of Mariel, in what became known as the 'Mariel Boatlift'.

Another of his Cuban projects, aside from his magazine, is as a music promoter, taking big name Cuban bands like 'Van Van' on tours of the U-S. He also has travel interests in bringing Cuban-Americans here.

Long before US President Barack Obama and Cuba's leader Raul Castro agreed to restore diplomatic relations, both leaders made it easier for Cuban-Americans to return and visit relatives and to send remittances back home.

Many of the glitzy new private restaurants were bought and renovated with funds from Miami and elsewhere, as were many of the new homes and apartments rented to tourists.

"This is an new beginning, this is an new era where this country, for the first time, is trying to reach out to the exile community and say 'hey, guess what You are welcome, this country is moving forward and we cannot move forward without your participation," Cancio said.

Cancio has spent years building contacts in both countries. Today he also acts as an advisor to U-S corporate executives who are showing an interest in investing here if the trade embargo, against the island, is lifted.