After Initially Crying ‘Inaccurate,’ Biden Admin Confirms China Has Had A Spy Base In Cuba Since At Least 2019

China and a communist ally have joined forces to conduct espionage activities on the United States, just 90 miles away from the coast of Florida, according to officials from the White House.

Sources from the Biden administration revealed that China has been operating a spy base in Cuba since at least 2019 as part of an ongoing effort to intensify its intelligence-gathering operations. These revelations indicate that the issue predates President Biden’s term.

An anonymous White House official emphasized that the US intelligence community has been aware of China’s spying activities from Cuba for quite some time, emphasizing that it is a continuous matter rather than a recent development.

The Biden administration has been actively working to counter China’s expansion of espionage operations and claims to have made some progress through diplomatic efforts and other undisclosed actions, the official stated.

The existence of the Chinese spy base in Cuba was confirmed by an article in The Wall Street Journal on Thursday. The report stated that China and Cuba had reached a preliminary agreement to construct an electronic eavesdropping facility on the island.

It was further reported that China had planned to provide billions of dollars to Cuba as part of the negotiation process.

In response to the report, the White House first dismissed it as “inaccurate.” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby addressed the issue in an MSNBC interview, stating, “I’ve seen that press report, it’s not accurate. What I can tell you is that we have been concerned since day one of this administration about China’s influence activities around the world, certainly in this hemisphere and in this region, we’re watching this very, very closely.”

Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío also refuted the report, expressing his denial through a Twitter post on Saturday. He criticized certain media outlets for spreading slanderous speculations without providing evidence or adhering to proper communication standards.

According to the anonymous official, President Biden’s national security team was briefed on the existence of the spy base and China’s efforts to expand its influence and espionage capabilities shortly after he assumed office in January 2021.

The Chinese officials reportedly assessed various sites across the Atlantic Ocean, Latin America, the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific before settling on Cuba. An existing facility on the island was upgraded in 2019 to accommodate the spying operation, the official disclosed.

The relationship between the United States and China has been fraught with instability throughout President Biden’s term. Tensions escalated when Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the House, visited Taiwan, which China considers its territory. In response, China conducted military exercises near the island.

The strained relationship deteriorated further earlier this year when the US shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon that had entered American airspace.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who had a previous trip to China canceled due to the balloon incident, is now planning to travel to China next week. According to anonymous US officials, Blinken is expected to meet with senior Chinese officials in Beijing on June 18, as part of the administration’s efforts to improve high-level communication with China.

CIA Director William Burns also recently met with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing, while White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan engaged in discussions with his Chinese counterpart in Vienna last month, making the administration’s intention to enhance communication channels with Chinese officials apparent.

{Matzav.com}