China’s Intelligence Footprint in Cuba: New Evidence and Implications for U.S. Security
Brief by Matthew P. Funaiole, Aidan Powers-Riggs, Brian Hart, Henry Ziemer, Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., Ryan C. Berg, and Christopher Hernandez-Roy
Published December 6, 2024
The Issue
China has long been rumored to operate spy facilities in Cuba, but few details about its footprint there have been made public. Research by CSIS reveals four sites within Cuba that are most likely to be supporting China’s efforts to collect intelligence on the United States and its neighbors. Satellite imagery and open-source analysis offer an unprecedented look into these facilities and provide clues as to how they could be used to spy on sensitive communications and activities in the region. These sites have undergone observable upgrades in recent years, even as Cuba has faced increasingly dire economic prospects that have drawn it closer to China. In light of these developments, the United States and its regional partners should carefully monitor China’s growing role in Cuba, harden sensitive communications, and push for transparency to reduce the likelihood of miscalculation.
Introduction
China’s ambitions to expand its global intelligence-gathering capabilities have drawn it to the doorstep of the United States. In a striking revelation in June 2023, Biden administration officials confirmed reports that China has access to spy facilities in Cuba. Later divulgences by the Wall Street Journal suggested that officials had identified as many as four facilities of concern and tracked Chinese technicians entering and exiting several.
Rumors of a Chinese intelligence presence in Cuba have been simmering for decades. Yet the latest revelations fed new speculation about the extent and depth of Beijing’s footprint there. Coming just months after a Chinese spy balloon crossed much of the continental United States, these reports contributed to renewed concerns over China’s expanding efforts to collect intelligence on the U.S. homeland.
Cuba’s proximity to the southern United States and the Caribbean makes it a prime location for collecting signals intelligence (SIGINT) on the region. Sitting less than 100 miles south of Florida, Cuba is well-positioned to keep watch on sensitive communications and activities, including those of the U.S. military. The southeastern seaboard of the United States brims with military bases, combatant command headquarters, space launch centers, and military testing sites. For Beijing, having access to SIGINT capabilities in Cuba would open a significant intelligence window inaccessible from within Chinese territory.
https://www.csis.org/analysis/chinas-intelligence-footprint-cuba-new-evidence-and-implications-us-security
