United States: “China has long had a spy center in Cuba.” | outside

The statement comes after several US media outlets reported in recent days that China and Cuba had secretly reached an agreement to place spying equipment on the island, about 100 miles from Florida. A White House spokesman described the report as “incorrect.”

According to the White House official, US President Joe Biden’s services are aware of China’s “efforts” to “set up bases around the world,” especially for espionage purposes. Those efforts also appear to include intelligence-gathering sites in Cuba. “This is an ongoing issue, not a new development,” the official said. China upgraded its intelligence gathering facilities in 2019. This is well documented in the intelligence report.”

She added that the US government had “slowed down” China’s spying projects, but “challenges remain and we remain concerned about relations with Cuba.”

The issue is diplomatically sensitive, as the US president hopes for an improvement in strained relations with Beijing. But she is also uncomfortable politically, since Biden is often criticized by the opposition for not being tough enough on China and the communist regime in Cuba.

Already cold relations between China and the United States worsened earlier this year when a Chinese spy balloon appeared over American soil. The Americans launched the balloon from the sky, but China insists this was not necessary, as it could have been a balloon off course.