A new report reveals that Cuba has expanded its electronic surveillance capabilities with four upgraded facilities, including one near Guantanamo Bay, sparking concerns about China’s espionage activities near U.S. shores. The facilities, strategically located, are suspected to support China’s efforts to spy on American military activities. Satellite images indicate significant upgrades, such as a large antenna array capable of monitoring signals thousands of nautical miles away. With China allegedly involved in Cuba’s telecom infrastructure, the implications for U.S. national security are profound, suggesting heightened surveillance capabilities near key military installations in Florida.

Frank Fang from The Epoch Times reported that according to a new analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Cuba has modernized and extended four electronic surveillance stations, including one near the Guantanamo Bay naval base, in response to increased alarm about China’s spying efforts in the United States’ backyard.

“While China’s activities on the island remain shrouded in secrecy, satellite imagery analyzed by CSIS provides the latest and most comprehensive assessment of where China is most likely operating,” according to the paper.

The research identified four active sites: Bejucal, El Salao, Wajay, and Calabazar. It also stated that the four stations are “strategically located” and “among the most likely locations supporting China’s efforts to spy on the United States.”

In June 2023, the White House announced that China has maintained an espionage base in Cuba since at least 2019. In the same month, the State Department warned that the Chinese regime will “keep trying to enhance its presence in Cuba,” while the US “will keep working to disrupt it.”

China’s surveillance activities in Cuba are a major national security concern for the United States, as Florida is home to numerous US military bases, including the headquarters of the US Central Command and Southern Command, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and Eglin Air Force Base.

“Collecting data on activities like military exercises, missile tests, rocket launches, and submarine maneuvers would allow China to develop a more sophisticated picture of U.S. military practices,” the report reads.

Facilities

According to the article, the facility near the US military base in Guantanamo Bay has not previously been publicly reported. It is located east of Santiago de Cuba, in the community of El Salao.

The El Salao facility, which has been under development since 2021, looks to be a circularly distributed antenna array (CDAA) with an estimated diameter of 130 to 200 meters (approximately 425 to 655 feet), according to the article. CDAAs of that magnitude could follow and establish the origin and direction of high-frequency transmissions from 3,000 to 8,000 nautical miles away, the paper said.

“Once operational, this CDAA will serve as a powerful tool for enhancing air and maritime domain awareness in the region, where the U.S. military and its international partners operate regularly,” the report reads.

If China gained access to the El Salao facility, CSIS stated that Beijing would have a “highly strategic point” near the Guantanamo Bay naval base.

According to the report, China is erecting new CDAAs on its armed outposts on Mischief and Subi Reefs in the South China Sea.

The facilities at Bejucal, Wajay, and Calabazar are all located close to Cuba’s capital, Havana, according to the study.

The Bejucal station is Cuba’s largest active signal intelligence collecting location, according to the paper, and it has been linked to alleged Chinese espionage activities for decades.

Based on satellite photographs from March 2024, CSIS assessed that the Bejucal complex has “undergone major updates” during the last decade, indicating “a clear indication of an evolving mission set.”

The report also mentioned the “growth of space-monitoring equipment” at Bejucal and Calabazar, which suggests that these two facilities are “likely intended to monitor” space-active countries such as the United States.

The Wajay site has also grown over the last 20 years, from one antenna and a few modest structures in 2002 to 12 antennae of various sizes and orientations and a “robust complex,” according to the report. According to CSIS, there are unproven reports that China “played a role in either the [Wajay] site’s construction or its modernization.”

“Even if China does not have direct access to facilities there, the data collected by Cuban counterparts could be readily shared with Beijing,” the study adds, noting that two U.S. blacklisted Chinese tech firms, Huawei and ZTE, form “the backbone of Cuba’s telecommunications infrastructure.”

Responses

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Cuba’s ruling Communist Party have developed close connections over the years.

In 2021, the two countries inked a cooperation agreement to expedite construction projects under China’s Belt and Road Initiative. According to the State Department, China’s Belt and Road Initiative “preys on other countries via unsustainable and corrupt lending while ignoring global labor and environmental standards.”

In February, the United States Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a report citing Cuba as one of many nations where China is purportedly considering establishing military bases.

In April, He Weidong, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC), met with Cuban General Victor Rojo Ramos in the Chinese capital. According to China’s official military news website, the two discussed how China and Cuba share an “unbreakable friendship” and should defend each other’s “core interests.”

The Biden administration and a few Republican senators from Florida have responded to CSIS’ allegations.

During a briefing on July 2, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel declined to comment on the report but did state that the US was “closely monitoring” China’s presence.

“We know that the PRC is going to keep trying to enhance its presence in Cuba and the United States is going to keep working to disrupt it,” Mr. Patel added, referring to China’s official name under the CCP, the People’s Republic of China. “We continue to be confident in our ability to meet our security commitments and responsibilities both here at home and in the region.”

Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) warned on the X platform that “Cuba is willing to restart the Cold War on our doorstep.”.

“China is building spy bases right off the coast of Florida with the help of the Cuban regime,” she wrote. “With these bases, the Chinese will be able to track our national security and personal communications.”

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