China is moving next door: Beijing is building an electronic eavesdropping facility in Cuba
China moves in next door: Beijing is building an electronic eavesdropping facility in Cuba, just 100 miles off the Florida coast, that can boast military secrets
Beijing is to build an electronic wiretapping facility in Cuba, just 100 miles off the Florida coast, that will be able to collect US military secrets.
Citing officials “with highly classified information,” The Wall Street Journal said China and Cuba have reached a secret agreement to establish the base.
The paper reported that its sources said Beijing had agreed to pay poor Cuba several billion dollars to enable it to build the facility, and that an “agreement in principle” had been reached at this stage.
Such a facility would allow China to monitor the southern US, home to many military bases, and the region’s shipping traffic.
This poses a new geopolitical challenge for Washington as it grapples with China’s growing global influence.
Beijing is building an electronic eavesdropping facility in Cuba, just 100 miles off the Florida coast, that will be able to collect US military secrets. Pictured: A police officer stands guard across the street from the US Embassy in Havana on May 26, 2023
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that while he was unable to speak on the specific report, he pointed to the many times US officials have reported China’s “attempts to invest in infrastructure around the world that may have military purposes.” , including in this hemisphere,” the WSJ reported.
“We are monitoring it closely, taking steps to mitigate it and are confident in our ability to meet all of our security commitments at home, in the region and around the world.”
The intelligence — described as “convincing” by anonymous U.S. officials cited in the report — has raised alarm within the Biden administration because of Cuba’s proximity to the U.S. mainland, the WSJ said.
Beijing is regarded by Washington as its main rival when it comes to both its military and its economy, and a Chinese base with military and espionage capabilities so close to the United States would pose an unprecedented threat.
Such a facility would allow Beijing to monitor a range of communications, including emails, phone calls and satellite transmissions, the WSJ said.
The newspaper said officials did not go as far as giving the exact location of the base, or whether construction had begun. It was also not clear if there was anything Washington could do to stop the base from being completed.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow…