On June 10, an unnamed official from the administration of US President Joe Biden said that China has had spy facilities in Cuba for some time and upgraded its intelligence collection sites in 2019, Reuters reported.
China's surveillance operations from Cuba are part of an effort to enhance Beijing's intelligence-gathering capabilities, according to US officials.
Havana, Cuba
“This is an ongoing issue, and it is not new. China has been upgrading its intelligence collection facilities in Cuba since 2019. This is well documented in the intelligence record,” the official said.
The news comes amid speculation that a new Chinese spying effort is underway from Cuba. Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that China had reached an agreement with Cuba to set up a listening post on the island, which is about 100 miles from Florida. At the time of publication, both the U.S. and Cuba questioned the veracity of the report.
US, Cuba speak out after news of China reaching agreement to build spy base
"I've seen that report, it's not accurate," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on June 8. He added that the US is "watching this very, very closely."
Asked for comment, a Chinese Embassy official in the US quoted a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman on June 9 accusing the US of "spreading rumors and slander" when talking about a spy station in Cuba.
Cuba did not immediately comment on the latest statement from US officials. On June 8, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio dismissed the information as "completely false and baseless" and a US fabrication to justify Washington's decades-long economic embargo against Havana. He also stressed that Cuba rejects any foreign military presence in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Tensions between the US and China have continued to escalate recently over a number of issues, including Taiwan and military activities in the South China Sea. US-China relations also became strained after Washington shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over US territory earlier this year.
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