Suspected Chinese Espionage Bases in Cuba Raise U.S. Security Concerns

Washington, D.C. - June 1, 2025 - A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has identified at least eight locations in Cuba that may be operating as signals intelligence (SIGINT) facilities, with suspicions that these sites could be linked to Chinese espionage efforts targeting the United States. The findings, based on satellite imagery and open-source analysis, have reignited concerns about China's growing intelligence presence in the Western Hemisphere, particularly given Cuba's proximity to the U.S. mainland, just 90 miles from Florida.

The CSIS report, titled "Secret Signals: Decoding China’s Intelligence Activities in Cuba," highlights four primary sites—Bejucal, El Salao, Wajay, and Calabazar—as the most likely to be supporting electronic surveillance operations. Bejucal, located near Havana, has long been associated with intelligence activities, dating back to the Cold War when it housed Soviet nuclear weapons during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Recent satellite imagery from March 2024 shows significant upgrades, including new antennas and a mysterious radome, suggesting an evolving mission. El Salao, a previously unreported site near Santiago de Cuba, is positioned close to the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, raising fears of targeted surveillance on American military activities.

These facilities are believed to be capable of intercepting electronic communications, such as phone calls, emails, and satellite data, across the southeastern United States, a region dense with military bases, space launch centers, and critical infrastructure. "Collecting data on activities like military exercises, missile tests, rocket launches, and submarine maneuvers would allow China to develop a more sophisticated picture of U.S. military practices," the CSIS report states.

The possibility of Chinese involvement in these sites has been a subject of speculation for decades. A Biden administration official confirmed in June 2023 that China had been operating intelligence collection facilities in Cuba since at least 2019, part of a broader global effort to enhance its spying capabilities. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2023 that China and Cuba had reached a secret agreement to establish an electronic eavesdropping station, with Beijing allegedly offering billions of dollars to the cash-strapped island nation. However, both the U.S. and Cuban governments cast doubt on the specifics of that report, with White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby calling it "inaccurate" at the time.

Cuban and Chinese officials have consistently denied these allegations. Cuban Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio dismissed recent claims as "totally mendacious and unfounded," accusing the U.S. of fabricating stories to justify its economic embargo against Cuba. Similarly, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, rejected the CSIS findings, calling them "slander" and emphasizing that China-Cuba cooperation is "aboveboard and does not target any third party."

Despite the lack of conclusive evidence directly tying China to all eight sites, experts note that Cuba's strategic location makes it an ideal outpost for signals intelligence. "Cuba's proximity to the southern United States and the Caribbean makes it a prime location for collecting signals intelligence (SIGINT) on the region," the CSIS report notes. The think tank also points to China’s deepening ties with Cuba, including the involvement of Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE in the island’s telecommunications infrastructure, as potential facilitators of technology transfer and intelligence collection.

U.S. officials and lawmakers have expressed alarm. Senators Mark Warner and Marco Rubio, leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued a joint statement in 2023, saying they were "deeply disturbed" by reports of Havana and Beijing collaborating to target the U.S. The Biden administration has vowed to monitor and disrupt any such activities, with a State Department spokesperson noting ongoing efforts to counter China’s influence in the hemisphere.

Analysts remain cautious, however, about the exact nature of these facilities. Former CIA analyst Fulton Armstrong told Belly of the Beast that "there’s no evidence that the Chinese are present there," adding that countries have legitimate, non-espionage reasons for maintaining antennas. Still, the expansion of these sites amid Cuba’s economic crisis and growing reliance on Chinese investment raises questions about the island’s role in global geopolitics.

As tensions between Washington and Beijing persist, the suspected espionage bases in Cuba underscore the complex interplay of intelligence, diplomacy, and regional security. The U.S. continues to closely watch developments, with CSIS urging sustained monitoring to assess any escalation in potential Chinese or Cuban intelligence efforts.

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