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The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, rejected on Wednesday the accusations made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding alleged Chinese espionage operations in Cuba.
Jian rated the China-Cuba cooperation as "completely legitimate, transparent, and in accordance with international law."
The response from Beijing -quoted by the agency Efe- arrives shortly after Rubio stated in an interview with Fox News that the Cuban regime has “welcomed adversaries of the United States to operate within Cuban territory against our national interests, with total impunity”; and warned that Washington will not tolerate this situation “just 90 miles from the shores of the United States.”
Lin Jian was decisive today in rejecting those accusations.
"Inventing excuses and spreading rumors to defame cannot justify the brutal blockade and illegal sanctions imposed by the United States against Cuba,” he stated.
The Chinese spokesperson also accused Washington of "severely violating the rights of Cubans to survival and development" and of contravening "the basic norms of international relations" with an embargo that has lasted more than six decades and whose accumulated damages exceed 170.677 billion dollars.
Beijing not only rejected the accusations but also issued a direct demand:
"China will firmly support Cuba in defending its sovereignty and national security, and urges the United States to immediately end the blockade and sanctions against Cuba, as well as any form of coercion or pressure."
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also condemned Washington's pressures for “compromising regional peace and stability,” and urged the Trump administration to “listen to the voice of justice.”
In the same vein, the Asian nation reaffirmed that “it will continue its support and assistance in the face of repeated threats from the United States,” and that “it is willing to work with all parties to safeguard the sovereignty and national security of Cuba, as well as to oppose external interference.”
Why does the U.S. warn of alleged espionage?
Rubio's accusations are based on a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies that identified at least four signal intelligence facilities operated by China in Cuba: Bejucal, El Wajay, Calabazar, and El Salao, the latter located just 70 miles from the Guantanamo Naval Base and equipped with systems capable of tracking signals thousands of kilometers away.
The satellite images analyzed up to March 2024 reveal a gradual expansion of these facilities since 2021, and an official U.S. report from December 2024 increased the total number to at least 12 active sites on the island.
The statements from Beijing come at a time of heightened tension between Washington and Havana.
This Tuesday, the United States Senate rejected by a vote of 51 to 47 a Democratic resolution that aimed to prevent President Trump from ordering military actions against Cuba without Congressional authorization.
The bilateral context between China and Cuba also explains the firmness of the Chinese response. Last January, Trump signed an executive order declaring Cuba an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the national security of the United States and imposed tariffs on countries supplying oil to it.
In response to that pressure, Xi Jinping approved 80 million dollars in financial assistance and 60,000 tons of rice for Cuba.
This was complemented by the fact that Foreign Ministers Wang Yi and Bruno Rodríguez agreed in March to elevate bilateral relations to "higher levels," according to discussions held between both foreign ministries.
In February, Lin Jian himself had already anticipated Beijing's stance by stating that "China, as always, will provide support and assistance to Cuba to the best of its abilities" in the face of threats from Washington.
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