Chinese Spy Bases in Cuba Denied Again by Cuban Government

The Cuban government has once again denied the presence of Chinese electronic espionage bases on the island, following a report on Monday about the growth of such stations, including a new installation about 70 miles from the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo. A study by experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), based in Washington, published on July 1st, followed up on a report from the Wall Street Journal last year that revealed negotiations between China and Cuba to strengthen defense and intelligence ties, including a new joint military training and espionage station on the island.

However, in a brief statement posted on the social media platform X, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío once again denied the existence of listening stations at Chinese military bases on the island, claiming that the Wall Street Journal "continues to launch an intimidation campaign related to Cuba."

According to the Cuban diplomat, the newspaper, "without citing any verifiable source or showing evidence, seeks to frighten the public with tales of Chinese military bases that do not exist and no one has seen."

Similarly, the Deputy Director General of the U.S. Directorate of the MINREX, Johana Tablada de la Torre, asserted that the American newspaper "lies, favoring special interests to portray Cuba as a threat it is not, recycling, without evidence, lies about non-existent Chinese bases in Cuba."

She also mentioned that "it seems easy to forget real maps of U.S. military bases, starting with the illegal base in Guantánamo, Cuba."

Since the resurfacing of claims about the existence of a Chinese espionage base in Cuban territory in June 2023, the regime has responded with various statements dismissing such assertions as false.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla insisted at the time that there is no Chinese espionage base in Cuba and claimed that the statements by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken were false.

Fernández de Cossío also denied any military agreement between the two countries for the installation of an alleged espionage base, labeling the information as "completely deceitful and unfounded."

However, one year and one month later, satellite images and open-source information evaluated by the CSIS "offer an unprecedented view of four active sites in Cuba capable of conducting electronic surveillance operations."

The study indicated that "images captured from space show the growth of electronic listening stations in Cuba believed to be linked to China" and published photos that include "a new construction at a previously unreported site about 70 miles from the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay."

Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is a core element of modern espionage, and intercepting signals transmitted by both civilian and military actors can provide countries with valuable information about their adversaries, competitors, and allies alike.

CSIS experts argue that "Cuba's proximity to the southern United States and the Caribbean makes it a prime location for collecting SIGINT information about the region."

"For Beijing, having access to SIGINT capabilities in Cuba would open an important intelligence window that is inaccessible from within Chinese territory," the study warns.

In June of last year, the Joe Biden administration confirmed the existence of a Chinese electronic espionage base in Cuba but clarified that it was an issue of U.S. knowledge and said that the installation has been in operation since at least 2019.

CSIS argued on Monday that "Cuba has a long history of hosting foreign espionage operations targeting the United States," recalling that "during the Cold War, the Soviet Union operated its largest foreign intelligence center at the Lourdes Signals Intelligence Complex."