Editor
US: The Biden administration has revealed that China has been conducting spying activities on the United States from a base in Cuba. An anonymous administration official stated on Saturday that this issue was inherited by the current administration and has been a longstanding concern.
Earlier reports from The Wall Street Journal, and other sources claimed that China had been in talks with Havana to establish a new spy base in Cuba. However, on the same day, the White House and the Pentagon dismissed these reports as inaccurate without providing further details. The administration official clarified the situation by confirming that the Chinese base in Cuba had already been established prior to their term in office.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, expressed that the Chinese spying efforts have been an ongoing worry for the United States, and measures have been taken to address the situation. They explained that when the Biden administration assumed office in January 2021, they were briefed on various sensitive efforts by the People's Republic of China (PRC) to expand their logistics, basing, and collection infrastructure worldwide to extend their military power projection capabilities.
The official further revealed, "This effort included the presence of PRC intelligence collection facilities in Cuba. In fact, the PRC conducted an upgrade of its intelligence collection facilities in Cuba in 2019. This is well-documented in the intelligence record."
President Joe Biden has directed his administration to take action regarding this issue, primarily through diplomatic engagements with Beijing. The official acknowledged that these engagements have yielded results, and the U.S. experts assess that their diplomatic efforts have slowed down China's progress.
"We think the PRC isn't quite where they had hoped to be," the official stated. "The PRC will keep trying to enhance its presence in Cuba, and we will keep working to disrupt it."
However, there has been criticism from lawmakers. Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, criticized the administration for contradicting themselves and urged President Biden to address the threat posed by China seriously. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chair of the House China Committee, accused the administration of misleading the American people and downplaying China's aggression.
On the other hand, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), a member of the same committee, emphasized the need for congressional oversight and investigation into the matter if the reports of a CCP spy base in Cuba are true.
Despite the initial denial of the reports, Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued a joint statement stating that the establishment of an intelligence facility by China near the United States would be unacceptable and called for a response to China's ongoing attacks on U.S. security.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to visit China in the coming week, where this matter is likely to be discussed with his counterparts.