Yahoo Sports White House alarm as China strikes spy base deal with Cuba
China has struck a secret deal to open a spy base in Cuba that can snoop on US military bases, causing alarm at the White House.
The agreement would allow Beijing to build an electronic eavesdropping facility on the island, which lies just 100 miles from Florida, US officials told The Wall Street Journal.
The spy base would give Chinese intelligence services the chance to gather electronic communications throughout the south-eastern US, where many military bases are located. It would also allow Beijing to monitor US ship traffic.
A base with advanced military and intelligence capabilities could pose an unprecedented threat at a time of strained relations between the world’s two superpowers.
China has offered Cuba several billion dollars in exchange for being allowed to build the eavesdropping station, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Such a deal would be enticing for the Communist-run island nation which is in the depths of a severe economic crisis.
US officials familiar with highly-classified intelligence told The Wall Street Journal that the two countries had reached an agreement in principle.
Washington believes the base would allow China to conduct what is known in the spy world as “sigint”, or signals intelligence.
That could potentially include monitoring emails, phone calls and satellite transmissions.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, said: “While I cannot speak to this specific report, we are well aware of – and have spoken many times to – the People’s Republic of China’s efforts to invest in infrastructure around the world that may have military purposes, including in this hemisphere.”
Mr Kirby added: “We monitor it closely, take steps to counter it, and remain confident that we are able to meet all our security commitments at home, in the region, and around the world.”
America has previously intervened when foreign powers have sought to extend their influence in its backyard, most notably during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when the US and the Soviet Union teetered on the brink of nuclear war.
However, it is unclear what, if anything, Washington could do to prevent Beijing building the spy base.
Analysts said Beijing is likely to argue that such a facility in Cuba would be justified on account of US military and intelligence activities close to China.
Biden olive branch to Cuba
The Biden administration has attempted a rapprochement with Havana, loosening travel restrictions to and from Cuba and restoring some consular and diplomatic services.
The prospect of a potential Chinese spy base comes as the Biden administration has voiced concerns over deteriorating relations between Washington and Beijing.
Joe Biden has attempted to renew high-level communication between the two nations after a Chinese spy balloon was shot down by American forces earlier this year.
The US president dispatched Bill Burns, the director of the CIA, to China on a secret visit last month to stress the point, and Tony Blinken, his top diplomat, is expected to travel to Beijing later this month for a possible meeting with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president.
