US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has addressed an alleged Chinese spying operation based mostly in Cuba, claiming it is a half of a broader effort by Beijing to expand its abroad logistics and intelligence infrastructure. This comes after a US official confirmed that China has been operating an intelligence unit in Cuba for years, which was upgraded in 2019.
Blinken acknowledged that Beijing’s objective was to “project and maintain navy energy at a larger distance.” The Biden administration had been briefed on these developments upon taking workplace. However, final Friday, White House National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby refuted a Wall Street Journal report claiming that Cuba and China had reached a preliminary settlement to assemble a spy base on the island nation in change for a quantity of billion US dollars. Kirby mentioned the report was “not accurate” without offering additional particulars.
Insider clarified that while Beijing had indeed operated intelligence assortment facilities on the island, “this is an ongoing problem and never a brand new growth.” Kirby maintained that the framing of the original report was “inaccurate,” however couldn’t present further context as a end result of information not being declassified.
Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio dismissed the report as “slanderous speculation” on Twitter, while China’s international ministry spokesperson accused the US of “spreading rumours and slander.”
Blinken didn’t reference the Wall Street Journal report or its content during his assertion. Instead, he focused on the spying issue as a long-term concern, implying that the response by the Trump administration had been insufficient. Blinken stated that the Biden administration’s strategy to counter China’s spying begins with diplomacy, engaging governments considering hosting Chinese bases and exchanging info with them.
“Our consultants assess our diplomatic efforts have slowed down this effort by the PRC, it’s one thing that we’re very fastidiously monitoring,” Blinken added..