China has denied allegations made in a recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) linking it to four bases in Cuba that are suspected of being used for spying on the U.S. The report detailed facilities in Cuba that may be utilized by China for signal intelligence (SIGINT) gathering on the U.S.
Chinese foreign minister Mao Ning stated that the cooperation between China and Cuba is transparent and not aimed at any third party, dismissing claims of malicious intent. Cuban foreign minister Carlos de Cossio attributed reports of Chinese spying hubs in Cuba to enemies of Cuba in the U.S., calling it false and a justification for economic aggression.
CSIS identified four sites in Cuba that showed signs of supporting China's intelligence activities, with observable upgrades and SIGINT instrumentation. One such site in Bejucal, overlooking Havana, has long been suspected of ties to Chinese intelligence and was found to be active as of March 2024, with underground facilities and antennas for intercepting satellite communications.
Another site east of Santiago de Cuba is under construction for radio signal finding technology capable of detecting signals within a range of 3,000 to 8,000 nautical miles. This development comes in the context of China's growing alliance with Cuba, which has received significant development financing from China in recent years.
Historically, Cuba has allowed U.S. adversaries to conduct intelligence operations on its soil, such as the Soviet Union's SIGINT facility during the Cold War. With Cuba's proximity to the U.S., these sites could potentially be used to gather data on U.S. rocket launches, particularly relevant in the current space race between the U.S. and China.
