China spying from Cuba, upgraded intelligence in 2019: US official
What's the story
A United States (US) government official on Saturday said that China has been spying from Cuba for some time and advanced its intelligence collection facilities there in 2019, reported AFP. This comes after The Wall Street Journal on Thursday reported that Beijing had reached an agreement with Cuba to establish an electronic eavesdropping facility around 160km from Florida, US.
Details
Not new development: US official
An official from President Joe Biden's administration told AFP that the spying issue was"well-documented in the intelligence record." They further claimed that the US was trying to curb China's expansion in Cuba through diplomacy and other unspecified action. "This is an ongoing issue and not a new development," the official stated, indicating that the US knew about China's plans before Biden came into power.
Reaction
Spreading rumors, slander common tactic of US: China
Responding to the officer's allegations, a Chinese embassy official in Washington echoed Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, who accused the US of "spreading rumors" about the spy station in Cuba, reported Reuters. On Sunday, Cuban Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio dismissed the US's allegations, saying "slanderous speculations continue." He also called WSJ's report "totally false and unfounded information" on Friday.
Twitter Post
Cuban vice foreign minister's Twitter post
Continúa la especulación calumniosa, evidentemente promovida por ciertos medios de prensa para causar daño y alarma sin observar patrones mínimos de comunicación y sin aportar dato o evidencia para respaldar lo que difunden.
— Carlos F. de Cossio (@CarlosFdeCossio) June 10, 2023
La respuesta de #Cuba es la misma ya declarada. https://t.co/8rYxqush5M
More information
US government calls WSJ's report 'inaccurate'
Meanwhile, the US government has also cast doubt on the Journal report and has termed it "inaccurate." "I've seen that press report, it's not accurate," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said in an interview with MSNBC. "We have been concerned since day one of this administration about China's influence activities around the world... We're watching this very, very closely," he added.