New satellite images released by U.S. security experts have revealed the expansion of several Chinese military facilities on Cuban territory, reinforcing suspicions about a growing surveillance operation by Beijing aimed at the United States from the island.
During a hearing held this Tuesday in the Subcommittee on Maritime Security and Transportation of the House of Representatives, U.S. lawmakers warned about the risks to national security posed by military and security cooperation between China and Cuba.
The Republican congressman Carlos Giménez, representative from Florida, was blunt: "China is improving many existing espionage facilities in Cuba to spy on the United States. They are intercepting our communications and monitoring our military tactics."
Giménez warned that these facilities focus on monitoring key activities in South Florida, where one of the country's main air combat training centers is located.
Recent satellite images have revealed structures resembling surveillance antennas, communication stations, and monitoring centers located at various points across the island, some of which have already been identified in previous reports, such as Bejucal, El Salao, and Wajay—locations historically linked to intelligence activities.
The Cuban regime, for its part, has repeatedly denied the existence of foreign military bases on its territory. In December 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs classified the allegations as "unfounded" and part of a supposed disinformation campaign. "Find another lie!", stated on her social media Johana Tablada de la Torre, Deputy Director General for North America at MINREX.
The same reaction was expressed this Tuesday on social media by Deputy Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío, who criticized CNN for interviewing Giménez during the hearing of the Subcommittee on Maritime Security and Transportation of Congress.
"Now CNN is joining the circus, giving credibility to unfounded and corrupt accusations from U.S. politicians about nonexistent Chinese military bases in Cuba. A ridiculous aerial image that shows nothing is being used to spread misinformation. Very eroded journalistic standards," said the official on X (formerly Twitter).
However, the increasing presence of Chinese military delegations on the island, including high-level visits such as that of the Chinese State Councilor and the recent meeting of Raúl Castro and Miguel Díaz-Canel with an Asian military delegation, heightens concerns in Washington.
A report published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence of the U.S. last December indicated that Beijing uses platforms in Cuba to carry out "signals intelligence" (SIGINT), capable of intercepting communications and monitoring air and naval movements in the southern United States.
"The only thing we can do now is to apply maximum pressure on the Cuban regime, which is going through one of its worst economic moments in over six decades. They cannot feed their people or maintain the basic infrastructure of the country. It is a failed regime," declared Giménez during the hearing.
He also added that the United States should work towards a regime change on the island that transforms Cuba from an adversarial nation into an ally.
From Washington, the White House has maintained a watchful stance, although it has not publicly confirmed specific actions in response to this threat. Pentagon officials consulted by U.S. media have insisted that the surveillance from Cuba represents a "sustained strategic concern" and that U.S. intelligence "is closely monitoring" the evolution of Chinese activities in the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, the Cuban regime continues with its strategy of denial and mockery. In July 2024, Díaz-Canel himself posted an ironic message on social media mocking the reports about the Chinese presence in Cuba.
However, the official tone has been less humorous in diplomatic circles, where the issue has generated increasing friction with the United States.
The situation has also raised alarms among sectors of the Cuban exile community and the international community, concerned about the consolidation of a military alliance between the Cuban regime and China which could imply a new phase of indirect confrontation in the Western Hemisphere.
As global tensions with Beijing escalate, particularly over the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, the use of Cuba as a forward platform for intelligence operations amplifies fears of a resurgence of Cold War-like dynamics, this time with 21st-century actors and technologies.
Filed under: