China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning gestures during a press conference at the ministry of foreign affairs in Beijing. (EPA Images pic)BEIJING: China denounced on Wednesday a Florida arrest warrant issued for former Cuban president Raul Castro, calling it an "abuse of judicial measures" by the US.

Castro, 95, is wanted on murder charges connected to the February 24, 1996, shooting down of two civilian aircraft from "Brothers to the Rescue", an organisation assisting Cubans fleeing to Florida by sea.

Florida's top prosecutor announced the warrant, which has been condemned by current Cuban leaders, on Monday.

China has close ties to Cuba, a communist state that has been suffering under a US energy blockade, with President Donald Trump's right-wing administration ramping up economic, political and legal pressure on the Caribbean island.