Recent news reports by the Wall Street Journal, CNN and others claim China is planning to establish a base on the island of Cuba, with the primary objective of conducting spy activities targeted at the United States.
“The Wall Street Journal’s report of a planned CCP [Chinese Communist Party] spy facility in Cuba reminds us we are in a New Cold War that, once again, has come to our doorstep,” Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.), chairman of the House Select Committee on the CCP, said in a June 8 statement.
“Our ardent diplomatic pursuit of the CCP in the aftermath of the spy balloon has only emboldened CCP aggression," Gallagher stated. "We must make it clear that, as President Kennedy said over sixty years ago on the eve of a previous crisis in Cuba, ‘one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender or submission.’”
The United States became aware of these construction plans within the past few weeks, according to CNN on June 9. These reports come in the wake of the U.S. intercepting and downing a Chinese spy balloon a few months ago, confirming its espionage intentions, CNN reported.
Reports indicate that China is allegedly planning to provide billions of dollars to Cuba to house the facility on the island, The Guardian reported June 8. However, it remains uncertain whether construction on the building has begun, as CNN reports. The purported objective of this spy facility is to enable Beijing to conduct surveillance on the United States, particularly in the southeast region where numerous military bases and other U.S. operations are located, according to The Guardian.
However, the U.S. intelligence community is disputing the reports.
“This report is not accurate,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a statement, CNN reported. “We have had real concerns about China’s relationship with Cuba, and we have been concerned since day one of the (Biden) Administration about China’s activities in our hemisphere and around the world. We are closely monitoring it and taking steps to counter it. We remain confident that we are able to meet all our security commitments at home and in the region.”
Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), committee vice chairman, said in a joint statement that they were deeply disturbed by reports that Havana and Beijing are collaborating to target the United States and its people.
“The United States must respond to China’s ongoing and brazen attacks on our nation’s security," they stated in the news release. "We must be clear that it would be unacceptable for China to establish an intelligence facility within 100 miles of Florida and the United States, in an area also populated with key military installations and extensive maritime traffic."
“We urge the Biden administration to take steps to prevent this serious threat to our national security and sovereignty,” the senators stated.
