The analyst Gordon G. Chang published an opinion piece on Wednesday in The Hill, urging the U.S. government to take urgent action to prevent China from becoming a lifeline for the Cuban regime, and warning that Beijing's intelligence presence on the island poses a direct threat to U.S. national security.
The text, titled «Don't Let China Rescue Cuba», is based on the report from the State Department published in July under the title «Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism», as well as statements from military experts and academics consulted directly by Chang.
Chinese espionage facilities in Cuba
The State Department's report is conclusive: China "actively operates three of the 18 known signal intelligence facilities" in Cuba, and this presence "poses a severe risk to the operational military security of the U.S."
The document describes the island as one of Beijing's "most critical foreign listening posts" and notes that the Chinese in Cuba have maintained a "persistent presence in intelligence gathering."
The Center for Strategic and International Studies identified in 2024 four sites linked to Chinese signals intelligence on the island: Bejucal —the largest, featuring a recently completed massive circular antenna, located near Lourdes, west of Havana—; Wajay, Calabazar, and El Salao.
The Bejucal installation was the largest Soviet listening station outside the borders of the USSR. According to Chang, China would have taken control of that infrastructure shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union.
R. Evan Ellis from the U.S. Army War College stated to the journalist that China may have operated listening posts in Cuba since 1993, and that the bilateral intelligence relationship is "profound and long-lasting."
Ellis also warned that Beijing will not easily relent.
"After being caught off guard by Venezuela, China is closely monitoring the military actions of the U.S. in Cuba, but it will likely cling to its valuable electronic and signals intelligence facilities in Cuba until the day they are expelled," he asserted.
Sanctions and energy pressure
The article comes days after the State Department sanctioned Waldo Pérez Cortés, senior military representative of Cuba in China, along with five other Cubans and five entities —including Tecnoimport, Duna S.A., and the Military Industry Union— for facilitating the acquisition of military equipment from China to Havana.
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio was straightforward in announcing the measures: "The United States will not tolerate a pariah state hosting military, intelligence, and terrorist operations at our doorstep."
Chang acknowledges that U.S. pressure has had real effects: Cuba is experiencing massive blackouts partly due to the nearly airtight energy blockade imposed since the end of January 2026, worsened by the cut in Venezuelan oil supply.
However, it warns that the root cause of the electrical crisis is earlier: the outages began in 2024 and are the result of decades of mismanagement by the regime.
Beijing's response and the risk of a bailout
Instead of retreating, China has intensified its support for the regime.
One day after the sanctions, the Chinese ambassador in Havana announced the shipment of another 5,000 solar panels to Cuba.
By early 2026, Beijing had already committed 80 million dollars and up to 90,000 tons of rice.
The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, rejected the accusations from Washington and demanded the lifting of sanctions: “Cooperation between China and Cuba is legitimate and transparent.”
What do the experts propose?
The retired Air Force general Blaine Holt provides a concrete roadmap in the article.
“We can do to the Chinese in Cuba what they do to us in the South China Sea: take actions just below the threshold of war. Create pain. Prick them with a million needles.”, says the retired military officer.
Holt also proposes “taking actions that cut off the vital support for Chinese personnel in Cuba, such as restricting flights to and from the island.”
The State Department report describes Cuba as the point where “the ambitions of Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran converge” and as a “force multiplier” for an openly anti-American coalition.
Since January 2026, the Trump administration has imposed more than 240 new sanctions against Cuba. The question that Chang leaves open is whether this pressure will be sufficient as long as Beijing remains willing to extend a hand to the regime.
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