While the Biden-Harris administration continues to appease Cuba’s Castro dictatorship, the communist regime is allowing China to expand its spy operations on the island.
Julieta Pelcastre explains in Dialogo:
China Expands Espionage Network in Cuba
China has expanded its global intelligence-gathering capabilities to Cuba, Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), indicated in its July 1 report, Secret Signals. By analyzing satellite imagery and open sources, CSIS was able to identify four sites on the island that could facilitate espionage activities.
One of the newest facilities is located at El Salao, near the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. The facility, for which construction began in 2021, appears to consists of antennas arranged in a configuration known as circularly disposed antenna array (CDAA) capable of intercepting signals over long distances, making it an ideal outpost for monitoring military activities in the Caribbean.
“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 CSIS report indicates.
A key site is in Bejucal, near Havana, the largest active signal intelligence (SIGINT) site in Cuba that CSIS reviewed. This former military complex, which once housed Soviet nuclear weapons, has been modernized and equipped with state-of-the-art technology. In addition, CSIS identifies two other facilities at Wajay and Calabazar, both in the vicinity of the Cuban capital.
Wajay, which began as a small station in 2002, is experiencing exponential growth, now housing a complex of 12 antennas, the report says. In Calabazar, the CSIS noted the shift over time in the number, location, and orientation of antennas, likely due to the evolution of missions, and points out to a newest dish installed in 2016.
“These surveillance installations on Cuban territory are key in China’s global ambition,” Euclides Tapia, professor of International Relations at the University of Panama, told Diálogo on August 7. “Not only will they allow it [China] to gather intelligence on its adversaries, but they also seek to project its military might in the region.”
The implication that China operates spy bases on Cuban territory could generate prolonged instability, increase the risk of conflict, increase Chinese influence in Latin America, cause greater political fragmentation, and increase the risk of maritime incidents, Tapia said.
Continue reading HERE.