Havana described the reports based on statements made by unnamed US officials to the Wall Street Journal as “false and baseless”, while the White House considered them to be inaccurate.
Asked about the alleged basis during a regular press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said he had “no knowledge” of the case before criticizing US policy towards Cuba. .
“As we all know, spreading rumors and slander is a common and patented tactic of the United States to deliberately interfere in the internal affairs of other countries,” he said.
“The United States must reflect on itself and stop interfering in Cuba’s internal affairs under the banner of freedom and democracy, and immediately lift the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed on Cuba”, he added.
What do the US reports say?
Reports indicated that the Chinese spy base would be able to eavesdrop on communications in large parts of the southeastern United States. The Wall Street Journal reported that Beijing and Havana have struck a secret deal to set up a Chinese wiretapping facility on the Caribbean island that could monitor communications across the southeastern United States. The newspaper quoted unnamed U.S. officials as saying China would pay Cuba “several billion dollars” in exchange for building the facility. Similarly, the American channel “CNN” quoted “sources close to American intelligence” as saying that there was a similar agreement. The network reported that “the United States has learned about this project over the past few weeks,” but “it is not yet confirmed if China has started building the monitoring facility.”
The developments come as Chinese President Xi Jinping is rapidly expanding the country’s security presence around the world.
A base in Cuba, located 150 kilometers off the southern tip of Florida, would represent the most direct challenge yet for the American continent.
Cuba .. a story of spy bases
The former Soviet Union set up spy installations in communist Cuba to monitor the United States.
But in 1962, when Moscow decided to deploy its nuclear missiles in Cuba, the United States declared a blockade of the island in a crisis that threatened to spark a war between the two powers, until Moscow backed down.
Washington then moved its nuclear-capable missiles from Turkey, which the Soviets saw as a threat.
Earlier this year, China sent what Washington called a high-altitude spy balloon across the United States that flew west to east over sensitive military installations before being shot down by a fighter jet. American.
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