The United States Department of Defense, commonly known as the Pentagon, refused to comment on reports that China is planning to establish a spy base off the coast of the US in Cuba. The area in question includes the headquarters of the US Central and Southern Commands, both located in Florida.
On Thursday, June 8, 2023, reported that Beijing and Havana had signed a secret agreement for a Chinese electronic eavesdropping facility on the Caribbean island, which would be capable of monitoring communications throughout the southeastern United States.
China is said to be paying Cuba several billion dollars to construct the facility, citing unnamed US officials.
The Pentagon neither confirmed nor denied the report, which comes amid tensions between Washington and Beijing over the US support for Taiwan, which China regards as determined to reunite with mainland China.
“We will not comment on that specific report,” said an anonymous official from the US Department of Defense.
“On a broader level, we are very aware of the PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) efforts to invest in infrastructure worldwide that may have military objectives, including in the Western Hemisphere,” the official said, using the abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China.
“We will continue to monitor it closely and remain confident that we can meet all of our security commitments at home and throughout the region,” the official added.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been pushing for the rapid expansion of his country’s security presence worldwide, aiming to match the extensive military presence of the US on all continents.
A base in Cuba, located just 90 miles (150 kilometers) off the southern coast of Florida, would present the most direct challenge to the American continent.
The Soviet Union previously had electronic spy facilities in Cuba to monitor the United States. However, in 1962, when Moscow deployed nuclear missile bases in Cuba, the US announced a quarantine of the island, which threatened to lead the two superpowers into war, until Moscow backed down from its plans.
Subsequently, Washington removed its nuclear-capable missiles from Turkey, which the Soviets saw as a threat to their own security.
China’s move with Cuba comes after it sent surveillance balloons across the United States earlier this year, flying from west to east over sensitive military installations before being shot down off the eastern coast by US fighter jets.
