China to Build Station That Could Spy on U.S. from Cuba, Officials Say
The details of China’s and Cuba’s negotiations — which U.S. officials described on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence — come as the Biden administration has attempted to stabilize relations with Beijing, its main strategic rival, after a period of rising tensions. The Wall Street Journal first reported on plans to build a facility in Cuba.
President Biden’s National Security Council pushed back against reports of the planned facility. “This report is not accurate,” John Kirby, the council spokesman, said in a statement, declining to go into further detail. “We have had real concerns about China’s relationship with Cuba, and we have been concerned since Day 1 of the administration about China’s activities in our hemisphere and around the world.”
Mr. Kirby said that the administration was closely monitoring those activities and taking steps to counter them. He added that “we remain confident that we are able to meet all our security commitments at home and in the region.”
Several diplomatic, military and climate engagements between the two countries were frozen last year after former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. Bilateral relations had a further setback earlier this year when a Chinese spy balloon was caught traversing the United States, hovering near sensitive military sites.
The incident inspired a backlash from Congress and prompted Antony J. Blinken, the secretary of state, to cancel a scheduled trip to Beijing in February. Mr. Blinken plans to make the trip soon, according to U.S. officials, after weeks of intense diplomacy that included a meeting between Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, and a senior Chinese official, Wang Yi. It is unclear if the latest revelations about the planned facility in Cuba could affect the visit once again.
Source: The New York Times
