China would be preparing to build an electronic espionage base in Cuba, 150 kilometers from the United States coast, in order to capture signals and steal military secrets from the North American superpower, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported this Friday. and later confirmed intelligence sources citing "highly classified" reports. In exchange for allowing the use of territory, the Cuban state would collect billions of dollars from the eastern giant at a particularly delicate moment for the island.
Paekin would have already reached an "in principle agreement" to build the spy facility, which would allow Chinese intelligence services to monitor military bases in the southern US and the passage of their ships through the Straits of Florida.
The pact would constitute an element of escalation in the new open cold war between Washington and Beijing, until now focused on the South China Sea and for control of that part of the Pacific and amid growing tensions around Taiwan.
White House Homeland Security spokesman John Kirby said that while he could not speak on the issue of the Chinese spy base, officials in his department and US intelligence agencies often deal with it. "China's efforts to invest in infrastructure around the world for possible military purposes, including in this hemisphere," the WSJ noted.
"We are closely monitoring it, taking countermeasures, and are confident that we can meet all of our security commitments at home, in the region, and around the world," Kirby said.
Washington considers Beijing its number one enemy, ahead of Russia; as much for its powerful and growing military as for its thriving economy and aggressive trade practices.
Now, a center with military and espionage capabilities so close to the United States would represent "an unprecedented threat," since it would allow Beijing to control various internal communications in the American nation, from emails and phone calls to satellite transmissions.
The officials who leaked the information did not provide the exact location of the base or whether construction could have started.
