New satellite images indicate the rise of Chinese spy bases in Cuba
Latest satellite photos indicate the probable establishment of new spy bases in Cuba connected to Chinese intelligence, according to a recent report by the American Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) based in Washington, DC.
This report, published by a renowned research institution specialising in strategic and international analysis, suggests that the new bases may be used for electronic eavesdropping. It also indicates that one of the new stations is located just over 112 kilometres from the American naval base in Guantanamo.
Vedant Patel, Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, did not confirm the report's contents but noted that the U.S. has been monitoring potential Chinese intelligence activities in Cuba for decades and is taking all necessary measures to counter these activities.
According to CSIS analysis, the cause for concern is the fact that the supposed Chinese listening stations, located near the southeastern borders of the U.S., could intercept classified electronic information from U.S. military bases and space communication stations and eavesdrop on communication between warships and commercial vessels.
Based on years of satellite image analysis, the CSIS report's authors also pointed to four other locations in Cuba where significant modernisation and expansion of installations used for electronic espionage have taken place: Bejucal, El Salao, Wajay, and Calabazar.
Some of these installations had been discovered earlier, but the latest CSIS report provides new details about their capabilities, including information on installing large parabolic antennas.
Cuba talks about "intimidation campaign"
Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, Deputy Foreign Minister of Cuba, commented on this information, calling it an "intimidation campaign" and assuring that the alleged Chinese military bases in Cuba "do not exist."
He also criticised "The Wall Street Journal", the first to report on this matter. The Deputy Minister stated that it was an attempt to scare people with strange tales.
In June of last year, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the United States is employing an anti-espionage strategy in response to the discovery that Chinese intelligence expanded its installations in Cuba during the presidency of Donald Trump (2017-2021).
