The Pentagon on Thursday dismissed a report from The Wall Street Journal that claimed Beijing and Havana have reached an agreement in principle on China establishing a secret spy facility in Cuba.
When asked about the report, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said it was inaccurate. “I can tell you based on the information that we have, that that is not accurate, that we are not aware of China and Cuba developing a new type of spy station,” he said. “In terms of that particular report, no, it’s not accurate.”
The White House also dismissed the WSJ report. “We have seen the report. It’s not accurate,” said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, according to Reuters.
The WSJ report cited anonymous US officials who claimed China would provide Cuba with billions of dollars as part of the agreement to build an eavesdropping station. The officials claimed the facility would allow China to gather signals intelligence, known as SIGINT, which could include the monitoring of emails, phone calls, and satellite transmissions.
The Soviet Union had a spy station in Cuba throughout the Cold War, known as Lourdes SIGINT station, which was closed by Russia in 2002. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the hawkish chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said if China establishes a spy facility in Cuba, it would be a “direct assault upon the United States.”
But any Chinese surveillance efforts in the region would be a response to the US is constantly running surveillance operations near China, including frequent spy plane flights over the South China Sea. The US is also suspected of having SIGINT capabilities in Taiwan.
Tsai Ming-yen, the director-general of Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, said in April that Taiwan now has a “real-time” intelligence-sharing link with the Five Eyes, the Western intelligence alliance that includes the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Britain.
“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive…”
So…..the new Chinese government office won’t conduct any “surveillance” on the US because we say it won’t.
Just like we don’t conduct any surveillance in similar offices that the USA has surrounding China.
The media got it wrong again.
Neither country would ever spy on each other and to say they would is just crazy talk.
All true. And there’s an additional factor as well:
Relative to Cuba, China is fairly rich.
And China is openly and obviously working to build its global “soft power,” building economic/trade, diplomatic, and military blocs that are aligned with it, or at least not aligned with the US.
“We’ll throw a few billion dollars your way in return for giving us a little patch of land and permission to set up some antenna arrays, etc. with people there to monitor and analyze the collected information” is a great way to make a friend an even better friend. It’s probably worth the investment even if it doesn’t really produce much intelligence that couldn’t be gathered in other ways.
There are risks to that, but they’re not from the US. What’s the US gonna do, take away Diaz-Canel’s birthday or something? Even if “international law” was enforceable, I’m unaware of any “international law” forbidding Party A to sit somewhere and listen to Party B as best it can.
One of the risks is one the US should know well: At first, everyone’s happy. The US gets a base somewhere, the local economy gets a shot in the arm, everyone’s best pals. But over time, the town nearest the base becomes a dump filled with nothing but brothels, liquor stores, and tattoo parlors, and people start grumbling about what arrogant show-off assholes the Americans are. Then one of the arrogant show-off assholes rapes a local woman or shoots a guy who got too close to the base gate while trying to ask for directions, and suddenly NOBODY likes the Americans anymore.
But this Chinese project, if it does exist, is probably relatively small. Probably not a lot of personnel, and since the Chinese didn’t just now come out of a major global war as the preeminent world power, its people stationed abroad probably aren’t going to be arrogant show-off assholes for at least a little while.
This whole kerfuffle is for public consumption. Politicians can preen for the cameras about Chinese spy-nests and morons like Hannity can drive eyeballs too.
Of course the folks in China’s office will keep a eye on us but it is not going to be a bunch of antennas and satellite dishes with Chinese Jason Bournes running around.
It will likely be one of those “police stations” they had in our cities to keep their eyes on their citizens who live here.
A simple culture clash…lol.
It’s “normal” to do those things in China so why do the Westerners get so bent out of shape when they do it in the US or Cuba?
We just need to learn other cultures do not view things as we do….lol.
Heck if the Chinese wants to dump money into Cuba, let them.
It’s better Cuba owes them money instead of us.
“”It will likely be one of those “police stations” they (China) had in our cities to keep their eyes on their citizens who live here.””
yes it’s as if China are more terrified of their own little guys who manage to scape out a living over here than they are of uncle sam itself
I can still remember my Chinese classmates from years ago and how they had a public face that rarely slipped until they were comfortable with you but there was always something still present.
Kind of like today’s campuses with their strict rules of conduct and speech nowadays for everyone.
i bet they all grew up keeping their mouth shut with their feelings to themselves
It was a atmosphere that they knew things could be held against them and it was not looked down upon the others if someone told.
But then it was a different culture (who are we to say their values are worse/better?;-) and they looked upon our “curiosities” such as “telling” for impure thoughts as something that was not to be done.
But then that was a few years ago….
WSJ spreading misinformation based on anonymous sources again. The corporate overlords of the paper (Murdoch) just want to spread some more Sinophobia and flame war because why NOT. Disgusting a major paper can just publish lies.
I tend to believe the WSJ over John Kirby. And it does make perfect sense.
Another stunt from Lie Street Journal…!
secret Chinese spy station in Cuba
“it’s a secret!”
….. WSJ
I bet the source were Congressman, like Menendez and Rubio, projecting their own thoughts. What benefit would China get from a spy base located there? Something close to Hawaii or the Philippines would at least make sense.
Total BS. Why would China spend billions of dollars on a spy station in Cuba if they can do the same with a $12 “Chinese spy balloon?” …No. I’m not smart but my sense of smell is strong. Someone mentioned senator BM in the article. (Sarcasm alert)
Yeah, why would China offer a friendly regime a lucrative opportunity to piss off a mutual foe?
Yea, what’s good for the goose…..
sure until everybody’s goose is cooked
I like that, and true.
,,, And Why should they…? US regime is full of holes…!
The 800 military bases we have around the world are not “direct assaults” against any country????
Uh, yeah this guy Mendez is dumber than a rock or bought and paid for by the US military industrial complex. So, if Taiwan is part of China and we’re still publicly stating that we adhere to the One China policy, how is that not a “direct assault on China”, where as China opening a spy agency in another country independent of the US a “direct assault on the United States” Sounds a whole lot like you are using double speak and trying to trigger WWIII.