According to senior U.S. officials, China is currently in negotiations with Cuba to establish a base on the island for the purpose of spying on the United States.
These assertions, which draw chilling parallels to Cold War rivalries, have raised alarm amongst lawmakers.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the highly sensitive nature of the intelligence matter, mentioned that China is directly communicating with Cuba to set up a facility within a mere 100 miles of U.S. soil.
This base would facilitate Beijing’s collection of signals intelligence from the southeastern U.S., an area known for numerous military establishments and significant industries.
The officials claim that evidence of these ongoing talks surfaced recently.
The potential establishment of such a base threatens to undermine the Biden administration’s endeavors to alleviate tensions with Beijing.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was planning a visit to China in the upcoming weeks, might have to reconsider after a Chinese spy balloon was intercepted over U.S. territory.
Presently, diplomatic discussions with China are mainly focused on economic and trade aspects, while military-to-military dialogue is almost non-existent.
In an attempt to revive high-level conversations between the two nations, President Joe Biden dispatched CIA Director William Burns to China on a covert mission last month.
However, recent reports from the Wall Street Journal suggest a “secret agreement” has been reached between Beijing and Havana, with China reportedly paying Cuba billions of dollars for the facility.
Although the officials could not verify the existence of a finalized deal, they did confirm that talks are underway.
The situation has already caused a stir in Congress.
Drawing parallels with the former Soviet Union, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a House Intelligence and Armed Services committee member, expressed his concerns.
He referred to the increasing harassment of American vessels and aircraft in the Indo-Pacific region and suggested that Blinken reconsider his travel plans to China.
In the past, the Soviet Union maintained a significant signals intelligence site in Lourdes, located just outside Havana, which was closed post-2001.
Waltz warned that if China intended to reactivate it, it could become the largest spy base yet, a clear sign of a new Cold War.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, while not confirming China’s interest in a Cuban military facility, did acknowledge China’s global efforts to invest in infrastructure for potential military use.
He assured that the U.S. was closely monitoring these developments, taking steps to counter them, and maintaining confidence in its security commitments.
China officially maintains a single foreign military base in Djibouti but has sought to bolster its presence in the Western hemisphere for years.
Gen. Laura Richardson, head of U.S. Southern Command, warned earlier this year of China’s “relentless march” to supplant the U.S. as the region’s leading power, noting a military-run space station in Argentina as an example.
Requests for comments on the situation from the CIA, the State Department, and the Cuban and Chinese embassies in D.C. were not immediately answered.
Cuba, Chinese in Cuba, Cuba spy base for China, Cold War