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| US Embassy in Cuba Image Credit: Google |
Multiple
government sources in the Caribbean and the United States have dismissed a
report published in the Wall Street Journal, which claimed that Beijing planned
to establish a spy base in Cuba.
The article
described an allegedly secret agreement between China and Cuba for the establishment of an
electronic eavesdropping facility that would enable China to conduct signals
intelligence and intercept data from the US.
However,
government officials from various countries have denied the existence of such a
base.
Wall Street
Journal's Exclusive Report:
The New
York-based newspaper published an exclusive report suggesting that China and
Cuba had reached a secret agreement for the establishment of an electronic
eavesdropping facility.
The report,
citing unnamed US officials familiar with classified intelligence, claimed that
the proposed base would allow China to conduct signals intelligence and
intercept emails, phone calls, and other data from the US.
It further
stated that China had agreed to pay Cuba several billion dollars for setting up
the facility.
Denials from
Government Sources:
Government
officials from the United States and Cuba have refuted the claims made in the
Wall Street Journal report.
The White House
National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, dismissed the accuracy of
the report without specifying the inaccuracies.
Similarly, a
spokesperson for the US Defense Department, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder,
stated that they were not aware of any development between China and Cuba for a
new spy station.
In Havana,
Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio called the Journal's
article "totally mendacious and unfounded," considering it a
fabrication to justify the US economic embargo on Cuba.
Chinese
Response:
The Chinese
embassy in Washington stated that they were not aware of the alleged case and
could not provide a comment at the moment.
No further
details were provided regarding China's stance on the matter.
Reactions and
Political Implications:
The report
created ripples in the US political sphere, particularly among right-leaning
figures.
Republican
presidential candidate Nikki Haley expressed concern over China's actions,
citing recent incidents such as the harassment of a US fighter jet and naval
ship.
Ohio
Representative Jim Jordan blamed President Joe Biden for the alleged spy base
and drew a comparison to a previous incident involving a Chinese spy balloon in
US airspace earlier this year.
Potential
Implications and Context:
The alleged spy
base's reported purpose would be to gather electronic communications from the
southeastern US, which houses numerous military bases, and monitor ship
traffic.
The report also
highlighted the US Central Command headquarters in Tampa and Fort Liberty
(formerly Fort Bragg) in North Carolina as significant locations.
The emergence of
this news comes amid attempts to ease tensions between the US and China on
various issues, including Taiwan, the South China Sea, human rights, and
previous concerns over a suspected Chinese spy balloon.
Lastly:
Multiple
government sources have denied the existence of a Chinese spy base in Cuba,
refuting the claims made in the Wall Street Journal report.
The denials
highlight the lack of awareness or evidence supporting the alleged agreement.
However, the
report has sparked political reactions and raised concerns over China's
activities in the region.
It remains to
be seen how this development may impact ongoing discussions between the US and
China on various geopolitical matters.
(Courtesy:
Al-Jazeera)
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