Intelligence reports from the United States suggest that the discussions for the facility, to be established somewhere on the island nation's northern coast, are at an advanced stage but not yet concluded.
The reports have sparked alarm in Washington, D.C., and President Joe Biden's administration is now scrambling to forestall China's ambitions in the Caribbean. The officials already reached out to Cuban officials to interrupt the deal and are trying to tap into what might be Havana's concerns about ceding sovereignty. (Related: Cut from the same cloth: Cuba agrees to let China construct a SPY BASE on island to intercept American communications.)
This report comes just weeks after the Wall Street Journal reported that China and Cuba had reached an agreement in principle for the construction of an espionage facility on the island, but the White House characterized that reporting as inaccurate. Days later, Washington declassified intelligence to confirm publicly that Chinese intelligence collection facilities have existed in Cuba since at least 2019.
Recently, the U.S. has had ongoing conflicts with Beijing that have been stroked by a host of other issues, including America's and other Western countries' support for Taiwan. The U.S. and Cuba, meanwhile, have had a strained relationship since Fidel Castro overthrew a U.S.-backed government in 1959.
The recent high-profile trip of State Antony Blinken to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping may have halted a downward spiral in the relationship between the U.S. and China. Blinken told reporters on Tuesday, June 20, that he "made very clear we would have deep concerns about PRC [People’s Republic of China] intelligence or military activities in Cuba."
"This is something we're going to be monitoring very, very closely, and we’ve been very clear about that," he added. "And we will protect our homeland, we will protect our interests." However, the Wall Street Journal reported that Blinken failed to secure China's agreement to a U.S. proposal that the two countries resume military-to-military communications to avoid misunderstandings.
Moreover, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby claimed that it is not a secret or surprise that China is trying to improve its influence or reach. "It's not like we aren't aware of it. It's not like we haven't been monitoring it," Kirby told the reporters on Tuesday. "We'll continue to take steps to … be able to protect our own secrets and our own national security."
China's eavesdropping project is already operational in Cuba
Biden's officials also said the administration is worried about China's "Project 141," which includes the planned military facility. The said project is an initiative by the People's Liberation Army to expand its global military base and logistical support network. China and Cuba are already running four eavesdropping stations on the island.
"That network underwent a significant upgrade around 2019, when a single station expanded to a network of four sites that are operated jointly, and Chinese involvement deepened," the officials added.
There also are signs of changes in the arrangement for those facilities that officials say could signal greater Chinese involvement, though the details are scant. A U.S. intelligence report earlier this year referred to the "centralization" of the management of the four joint sites, but what precisely that entails couldn’t be determined.
Other "Project 141" sites include a deal for a Chinese naval outpost in Cambodia and a military facility whose purpose isn't publicly known at a port in the United Arab Emirates, a former U.S. official said. None of the previously known "Project 141" sites are in the Western Hemisphere.
Meanwhile, a Chinese Embassy official in Washington said he wasn't aware of any deal between China and Cuba and that the U.S. is an "expert in chasing shadows" in other countries and meddling in their affairs.
Visit CommunistChina.news to read more about China's impending war against the United States and its allies.
Watch the video below that talks about China's plan to build a military training base in Havana in preparation for war with the United States.
This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.
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