China and Cuba are in talks to establish a joint military-training facility on the island, putting U.S. officials on high alert.
Several current and former officials told the Wall Street Journal of the negotiations, which are at an advanced stage but not yet concluded. A base on Cuba’s northern coast could see Chinese troops stationed within 100 miles of the state of Florida.
The news comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Beijing in an attempt at rapprochement. The administration has deployed measures intended to appease China in recent months, delaying punitive economic measures and playing down the communist country’s surveillance efforts against the U.S.
A new military base on Cuba, combined with the existing electronic eavesdropping bases, leaves the administration in an awkward position. The White House has yet to comment on the prospect of Chinese troops on America’s doorstep and it waffled on whether it knew about eavesdropping bases on the island, ultimately confirming that they’ve existed for some time.
U.S. officials told the Journal information about the military base is contained in highly classified new U.S. intelligence and is part of Project 141, an initiative by the People’s Liberation Army to expand its global military base and logistical support network. None of the Project 141 sites are in the Western Hemisphere as of now, with locations in Cambodia and the United Arab Emirates.
Blinken’s trip was initially planned for earlier this year, but was called off after a Chinese surveillance balloon floated across the country before being shot down by a U.S. fighter jet in February. The secretary of state did not secure his topline goal, failing to reestablish military-to-military communication with China. Blinken also emphatically said the U.S. is not in favor of Taiwan independence despite congressional attempts to deter China from invading the island.
Republicans have deeply criticized the administration’s approach to China and the pursuit of a so-called “thaw.” Representative Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.), chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, said Blinken was legitimizing the adverse actions the Chinese Communist Party has taken against its own citizens and the U.S. The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, led by Representative Mike Gallagher (R., Wis.), has urged Congress to urgently act to put further pressure on China as it pursues genocide against the Uyghurs and considers invading the island nation located within 100 miles of mainland China. The government in Beijing previously dismantled democracy and civil liberties in Hong Kong.
Senators Mark Warner (D., Va.) and Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), chair and ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, urged the U.S. to respond to “China’s ongoing and brazen attacks on our nation’s security” in response to earlier reports of eavesdropping operations in Cuba.
“We must be clear that it would be unacceptable for China to establish an intelligence facility within 100 miles of Florida and the United States, in an area also populated with key military installations and extensive maritime traffic. We urge the Biden administration to take steps to prevent this serious threat to our national security and sovereignty,” they wrote in a statement.