China is expanding its spying capabilities with a focus on the U.S. China has reached a secret agreement with Cuba to establish an electronic eavesdropping facility on the ground, according to the Wall Street Journal.
News of the agreement comes after the U.S. shot down Chinese spy balloons hovering over the country’s military bases earlier this year.
China will collect communications throughout the southeastern U.S.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the “listening station” will be in Cuba, about 100 miles from Florida. It will reportedly allow Chinese intelligence services to gather electronic communications, including emails and phone calls, throughout the southeastern U.S. because of Cuba’s close proximity. The southeastern U.S. is a trove of military intelligence due to the amount of military bases and ship traffic in the region.
China to pay Cuba billions for U.S. eavesdropping facility
U.S. officials said China has agreed to pay billions of dollars for the facility. National Security Spokesman John Kirby said American officials are monitoring the situation closely.
“We are well aware of, and have spoken many times to the People’s Republic of China’s efforts to invest in infrastructure around the world that may have military purposes, including in this hemisphere,” Kirby said.
Analysts say Beijing is likely to argue that the base in Cuba is justified because the U.S. military engages in electronic surveillance over the South China Sea. Plus, the U.S. sells arms to Taiwan, a territory that China claims as their own.
