US says China has had a spy center in Cuba since at least 2019
Washington, Jun 10 (EFE).- The United States said Saturday that China has had a spy center in Cuba since 2019, or even earlier, as part of Beijing’s efforts to expand its intelligence services across the world.
On Saturday, the White House declassified intelligence information, which it sent to EFE and which reveals the scope of China’s alleged espionage activities in Cuba.
According to those reports, when US President Joe Biden arrived at the White House in January 2021, he received information that China was trying to expand its intelligence services around the world by setting up spy centers in Latin America. Middle East, Asia and Africa.
China’s efforts allegedly included intelligence gathering facilities in Cuba, a term that can range from centers with dozens of spies to a simple listening post equipped with an antenna.
That intelligence gathering facility was allegedly renovated in 2019, according to the declassified information, which reveals that Washington knew about China’s spy activities in Cuba since 2019 or even earlier.
The declassification of the information comes after The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that China and Cuba had reached an agreement to build a large spying facility on the island, something that the Cuban government categorically denied.
At first, the White House called the report inaccurate but on Saturday it agreed to give details to the media.
The WSJ report drew criticism from Republicans, especially from Florida, where a large part of Cuban exiles live.
On Saturday, the US official who released the declassified intelligence information, emphasized that Biden “inherited” the issue from his predecessor, Republican Donald Trump.
The official said that as soon as he arrived at the White House, Biden asked his team to resolve the matter and, after months of diplomatic efforts, the administration has managed to slow down the alleged expansion of China’s intelligence services throughout the world, including in Cuba. EFE
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