China appears to be expanding its spy bases in Cuba.
The Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) first revealed this development in a July 2 report, accompanied by satellite images taken in March and April. The think tank pointed out that four military facilities in the island – Bejucal, El Salao, Wajay and Calabazar – have had upgrades. It showed current construction at Bejucal, Wajay and Calabazar, along with work on the earlier unreported El Salao site.
According to CSIS, Bejucal is the largest of the four facilities. It first came to eminence during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when the base was utilized to store nuclear weapons for the Soviet Union.
More recently, it has earned importance as a major signals intelligence monitoring station, suspected to be tracking electronic communications for China. For this purpose, Bejucal has been improved to better monitor and communicate with satellites which is useful to China's military and space program. Aside from these upgrades, a fresh electronic antenna enclosure has been installed in facility.
The Wajay and Calabazar locations, both located near the Cuban capital Havana, have seen development as well. CSIS analysts mentioned evidence of a growing and developing mission, as well as the installation of antenna, radar dishes and other equipment that could assist those using it to monitor satellites.
El Salao, the latest site, can intercept communications from Guantanamo Bay. While it appears to be still under construction, its proximity to the naval base near the city of Santiago de Cuba could be a matter of concern for Washington.
"Without access to classified materials, pinpointing the specific targets of these assets is nearly impossible," the report stated. "Nonetheless, the growth of space-monitoring equipment at sites like Bejucal and Calabazar is notable given that Cuba lacks its own satellites or space program."
Beijing, Havana deny CSIS allegations of espionage
Beijing and Havana agreed to a close defense and intelligence cooperation in 2022, with the treaty involving a joint military training facility and a spy base on Cuba. The four facilities cited in the CSIS report appear to be the result of that accord, with the upgrades ostensibly helping China with its espionage endeavors in the United States. (Related: China has had a spy base in Cuba for decades, retired army counterintelligence agent says.)
The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence refused to comment on the think tank's July 2 report, and the Cuban government likewise dismissed it. The Chinese government also dismissed the report's findings, dismissing it as "nothing but slander."
"The U.S. side has reportedly hyped up China's establishment of spy bases or conducting surveillance activities in Cuba," said Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, in an email. "The U.S. should immediately stop its malicious smearing of China. The U.S. is no doubt the leading power in terms of eavesdropping and does not even spare its allies.
The CSIS' revelations nevertheless follow a report last year by the Wall Street Journal about China paying Cuba billions of dollars to establish a spy facility. American officials later said that while China had upgraded its intelligence facilities in Cuba in 2019, Washington's response had stopped Beijing from attaining its goals.
"We're confident that we can continue to meet our security commitments," Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, U.S. Department of Defense press secretary, told members of the media during a July 2 press briefing.
"We know that the People's Republic of China is going to continue to try to enhance its presence in Cuba, and we will continue to keep working to disrupt that. We're continuing to monitor this closely, taking steps to counter it."
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Watch G News founder Miles Guo calling attention to the fact that Chinese spy bases are being built in Cuba.
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