The recent revelations about the alleged existence of agreements between Havana and Beijing for the installation of training bases and military espionage in Cuba They have set off alarm bells in the United States Congress.
This was expressed by the senator Bob Menendez (DN.J.) and Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) in a carta sent Friday to the Secretary of State, Antony Blinkand the director of the CIA, William Burnsrequesting a classified briefing on the alleged Chinese spy facility in Cuba.
Both the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee expressed deep alarm at the national security implications of the Chinese Communist Party’s growing military and intelligence capabilities. 90 miles off the coast of the United States.
“Americans must be sure that their administration unequivocally condemns this escalation and is working to do everything in its power to counter it,” the committee chairs said. “While we understand the sensitive nature of this matter, Congress also requires greater transparency and clarity about these developments.”
In this regard, they requested information on “the exact nature and objectives of the intelligence gathering of the People’s Republic of China in Cuba and the military association with the regime.”
In addition, they asked the heads of the Department of State and the Central Intelligence Agency to report “the implications of such efforts for the national interests of the United States; and what the Biden Administration is doing to mitigate such efforts and deter their further expansion into Cuba and the Western Hemisphere.”
“We are not surprised that the Cuban regime, which has historically opened its doors to foreign adversaries of the United States, and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are working together to undermine the national security of the United States. However, the establishment of intelligence facilities and the expansion of military ties so close to US soil is an important and incremental step,” Menéndez and McCaul said.
Both representatives accepted the revelations of the WSJ about the collaboration that the Cuban regime and China have maintained since 2019 to develop intelligence capabilities on the Island with the goal, at a minimum, of monitoring and intercepting communications in the southeastern United States.
“This is unacceptable… We specifically request that the State Department and the CIA provide a classified report to our committees, no later than July 14, 2023”, Demanded both politicians, who transferred a series of specific questions to those responsible for them to be answered.
“What is the nature and scale of the PRC’s current logistics, base, and collection infrastructure, including intelligence-gathering infrastructure, inside Cuba? Where is the infrastructure located? How long has the PRC had an operational logistics, base and collection infrastructure established in Cuba? When did the US government first raise the issue of these PRC activities in Cuba with the Cuban regime and the PRC government?
In addition to these questions, Menéndez and McCaul requested information on “What companies are providing or selling equipment to support the expansion? (and) what compensation, incentives, or commitments did the Cuban regime receive or provide in exchange for the establishment and expansion of the PRC logistics, base, and collection infrastructure in Cuba?”
They also asked about the assessment made by the Biden administration of the objectives of the People’s Republic of China in establishing and expanding its intelligence operations inside Cuba. But also because of the derivations of this matter in view of Cuba’s cooperation in military and intelligence matters with the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran
“What actions, diplomatic and otherwise, has the administration taken? How successful have our efforts been?” the representatives asked, requesting a detailed description of “discussions with the Cuban regime and the government of the People’s Republic of China on these training and signals intelligence issues.”
Not only in Cuba; US congressmen expressed their concern about the possible realization of these activities in the Western Hemisphere. According to the latest revelations from the WSJ, China could be in negotiations to establish a training base in Cuba for its troops; a collaboration that could have also been proposed to some of the partners of the Cuban regime in the region, and that would directly affect the national security of the United States.
