The US on Thursday dismissed a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which claimed that Cuba has agreed to host China’s secret electronic eavesdropping facility.
WSJ Report
In a report published earlier the same day, the media outlet cited “US officials familiar with highly classified intelligence,” who alleged that China and Cuba had reached a clandestine agreement allowing China to set up a surveillance facility on the island.
According to the report, the eavesdropping facility in Cuba, which is located roughly 100 miles from Florida, would allow Chinese intelligence services to pick up on electronic communications throughout the southeastern US, where several of the country’s military bases are located. It would also allow China to monitor US ship traffic.
Unnamed officials cited by the news house said that China would pay cash-strapped Cuba “several billion dollars” in return.
US Dismisses Report
During a press briefing on Thursday, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder said that the WSJ report was inaccurate.
“I can tell you based on the information that we have that that is not accurate. We are not aware of China and Cuba developing any type of spy stations separately,” he told reporters.
Just IN:— Cuba would host China, allowing Chinese intelligence to spy on Southeastern United States where many of US military bases are located.
— South Asia Index (@SouthAsiaIndex) June 8, 2023
“We know that China and Cuba maintain a relationship of sorts, but when it comes to the specific activities outlined in the press reporting, again, based on the information we have that is not accurate. The relationship that those two countries share is something that we continuously monitor,” he added.
Ryder further said that Washington will “continue to watch closely” any “concerning activities” by China in the hemisphere and around the world.
“But in terms of that -- that particular report, no it’s not accurate,” he underscored.
Chinese and Cuban Reactions
Cuban Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio called the report “totally mendacious and unfounded.” He accused it of being “a US fabrication meant to justify Washington’s decades-old economic embargo against the island.”
“Cuba rejects all foreign military presence in Latin America and the Caribbean,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said that Beijing was “not aware of the case” and could therefore not “comment right now.”
Growing Chinese Surveillance
In early February, the US shot down a high-altitude surveillance balloon from China, accusing it of espionage over American airspace.
Washington reported shooting down several such unidentified objects in the following weeks.