(RepublicanView.org) – China is allegedly expanding a number of spy bases in Cuba, while working on construction at one previously unreported site. Satellite images, shared by the Center of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and The Wall Street Journal, appear to show recent work on three sites near Havana. Meanwhile, the previously unreported base is allegedly near El Salao, close to Santiago de Cuba. Construction of it is reported to have begun as President Biden’s administration got underway, and its stated purpose is to “find and intercept electronic signals.” A CSIS expert said it may allow China to spy on the nearby Guantanamo Bay naval base.
Last year, an anonymous Washington insider claimed that American intelligence agencies are aware of a Chinese spying network in Cuba and that the Chinese government paid billions of dollars to establish bases there.
In April, a Cuban diplomat said his country was committed to deepening ties with China. Additionally, evidence emerged showing increased communications between China’s communist government and the Caribbean islands. For instance, the Chinese have reportedly established a “special economic zone” in Antigua. Related documents revealed that China controls customs and immigration within a designated area, manages a shipping port and airline, and has the authority to issue passports.
A spokesperson for the US Southern Command, based in Florida, said the military is aware that China can use commercial agreements for military aims and build a significant presence close to the US border, according to Newsweek.
Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne told reporters that the West did not help his country, but China has “some level of empathy for small states.” Browne opened Antigua’s new embassy in Beijing in January, and his government signed numerous agreements with China, including a guarantee of shipping rights.
In Cuba, Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío said he is unaware of any hostile acts toward the US by China and that it operates as any other country, pursuing “business and just competition.”
Fernández de Cossío also insisted that his country did not host Chinese spy bases and accused the media of exaggeration. He said over 100 embassies and missions in Cuba have failed to produce evidence that China was spying on the US from his country.
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