美商业部长访问中国

 The US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker has wrapped up her two-day visit to Cuba. She said her mission in Cuba was meant to explain president Barack Obama's recent relaxation of the US trade embargo.

Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Rodrigo Malmierca (C-R) meets with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker (C-L), at the headquarters of Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment in Havana, Cuba, on Oct. 7, 2015. (Xinhua/Prensa Latina)

Pritzker told Cuban officials on Wednesday that Washington wants to promote the Caribbean country's private sector to boost trade and build on newly restored diplomatic relations. She has also urged the US Congress to lift the embargo completely.

The Secretary met with Cuba's Foreign Minister to discuss lifting the more than 50-year embargo. Pritzker is the most senior US official to travel to Cuba since John Kerry visited in August for a flag-raising ceremony outside the US embassy in Havana.