The Cuban regime denies the presence of Chinese espionage bases in Cuba again.

The Cuban regime once again denied the presence of electronic espionage bases linked to China in Cuba, after a report was released this Monday about the increase in stations for that purpose, including a new facility located about 70 miles from the US naval base in Guantanamo.

An investigation by experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), based in Washington, published on July 1, followed up on a report by the Wall Street Journal last year that revealed negotiations between China and Cuba to strengthen ties in defense and intelligence, including a new joint military and espionage training station on the island.

However, in a brief statement published on the social network X, the Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, again denied the existence of listening stations on Chinese military bases on the island and maintained that the Wall Street Journal "persists in launching an intimidation campaign related to Cuba."

According to the Cuban diplomat, the newspaper, "without citing a verifiable source or showing evidence, seeks to scare the public with legends about Chinese military bases that do not exist and no one has seen."

In the same vein, the Deputy General Director of the United States Division of the MINREX, Johana Tablada de la Torre, stated that the US newspaper "lies, favoring special interests to portray Cuba as a threat it is not, recycling, without evidence, lies about nonexistent Chinese bases in Cuba."

The official also said, "It seems easy to forget real maps of United States military bases, starting with the illegal base in Guantanamo, Cuba."

Since June 2023, when the claims of the existence of a Chinese spying base on Cuban territory resurfaced, the regime reacted with several statements categorizing such assertions as false.

The Chancellor Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla then insisted that there is no Chinese espionage base in Cuba and stated that the claims made by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, were false.

Fernández de Cossío also denied that there was a military agreement between both countries for the establishment of an alleged espionage base. "Completely false and unfounded information," he warned.

However, a year and a month later, satellite images and information from open sources evaluated by the CSIS "offer an unprecedented view of four active sites in Cuba capable of conducting electronic surveillance operations".

The report from the research center showed that "images taken from space show the growth of electronic listening stations in Cuba believed to be linked to China" and published photos that include "a new construction at a previously undisclosed site about 70 miles from the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay".

Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is a central component of modern espionage, and intercepting signals transmitted by both civilian and military actors can provide countries with valuable information about their adversaries, competitors, and allies alike.

CSIS experts argue that "Cuba's proximity to the southern United States and the Caribbean makes it a privileged location for gathering SIGINT information about the region."

For Beijing, having access to SIGINT capabilities in Cuba would open up an important intelligence window inaccessible from within Chinese territory," warns the study.

Last June, the Joe Biden administration confirmed the existence of a Chinese electronic espionage base in Cuba, but clarified that it is a matter of U.S. awareness and stated that the facility has been in operation since at least 2019.

CSIS argued this Monday that "Cuba has a long history of being a host for foreign espionage operations aimed at the United States," recalling that "during the Cold War, the Soviet Union operated its largest foreign intelligence center at the Lourdes Signals Intelligence Complex."