US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has addressed an alleged Chinese spying operation based mostly in Cuba, claiming it is part of a broader effort by Beijing to broaden its abroad logistics and intelligence infrastructure. This comes after a US official confirmed that China has been operating an intelligence unit in Cuba for years, which was upgraded in 2019.
Blinken stated that Beijing’s goal was to “project and maintain military energy at a larger distance.” The Biden administration had been briefed on these developments upon taking office. However, final Friday, White House National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby refuted a Wall Street Journal report claiming that Cuba and China had reached a preliminary settlement to assemble a spy base on the island nation in exchange for several billion US dollars. Kirby said the report was “not accurate” with out providing further details.
A US official later clarified that while Beijing had indeed operated intelligence assortment amenities on the island, “this is an ongoing concern and not a brand new growth.” Kirby maintained that the framing of the original report was “inaccurate,” but could not present further context because of the data not being declassified.
Blacklisted de Cossio dismissed the report as “slanderous speculation” on Twitter, whereas China’s overseas ministry spokesperson accused the US of “spreading rumours and slander.”
Blinken didn’t reference the Wall Street Journal report or its content throughout his statement. Instead, he focused on the spying problem as a long-term concern, implying that the response by the Trump administration had been insufficient. Blinken said that the Biden administration’s strategy to counter China’s spying begins with diplomacy, engaging governments contemplating hosting Chinese bases and exchanging info with them.
“Our consultants assess our diplomatic efforts have slowed down this effort by the PRC, it’s one thing that we’re very carefully monitoring,” Blinken added..