Florida Lawmakers Seek Classified Briefing on China’s Plans for Spy Base in Cuba
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and other lawmakers are asking for a classified briefing on China’s planned electronic eavesdropping facility in Cuba. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images By Warren P. Strobel June 9, 2023 5:19 pm ET WASHINGTON—Republicans and Democrats on Florida’s congressional delegation Friday asked for a classified briefing on China’s plans for an electronic listening post in Cuba, calling the proposed site an “attempt to undermine the integrity and privacy of United States government, military, and civilian communications.” In a letter, Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and other lawmakers are asking for a classified briefing on China’s planned electronic eavesdropping facility in Cuba.
Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
WASHINGTON—Republicans and Democrats on Florida’s congressional delegation Friday asked for a classified briefing on China’s plans for an electronic listening post in Cuba, calling the proposed site an “attempt to undermine the integrity and privacy of United States government, military, and civilian communications.”
In a letter, Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to provide lawmakers with a briefing on the issue, including “the known or assumed capabilities that this listening post will possess” and what steps the U.S. is taking in response.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that China and Cuba had reached an agreement in principle for China to establish such a facility, according to U.S. officials familiar with the highly classified intelligence.
Such a site, roughly 100 miles from Florida, would allow Chinese intelligence services to scoop up electronic communications throughout the southeastern U.S., where many military bases are located, and monitor U.S. ship traffic.
Officials familiar with the matter said reports on the China-Cuba discussions about the site have appeared in classified intelligence reporting in recent weeks, and shared with members of Congress’s intelligence committees.
Rep. Michael Turner, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he was ‘deeply troubled’ by the WSJ report of China’s plans for a spy base in Cuba.
Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Rep. Michael Turner, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he was “deeply troubled” by the Journal report. “From its secret police outposts in the United States to its rampant theft of U.S. intellectual property to its use of a spy balloon to traverse our homeland, China has made clear that it knows no bounds when it comes to violating American sovereignty,” Turner (R., Ohio) said on Twitter.
Cuba and China have both denied the planned electronic eavesdropping facility.
After publication of the article on Thursday, White House representatives disputed the accuracy of the report, without providing any details.
“We’ve seen the reports. They’re inaccurate,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Dalton said on Friday. “Certainly we are aware of a Chinese presence in the Western Hemisphere, deeply concerned about that unwelcome presence, and particularly with respect to any projects that could have military implications.”
“But certainly we also feel that we are confident in our ability to respond and meet our security needs here and around the world,” she said.
Revelation of plans for the proposed intelligence station come as President Biden is hoping to thaw relations with Beijing following a series of tense encounters, including over the suspected spy balloon, which the U.S. shot down after it crossed across the continental U.S. earlier this year.
Blinken, who canceled a planned trip to China in February after the balloon incident, is scheduled to visit Beijing later this month and meet high-ranking Chinese officials. A U.S. official said Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on June 18. It is unclear if he will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Wasserman Schultz and Diaz-Balart, the senior members of Florida’s congressional delegation, noted in the letter to Blinken and Austin that the intelligence-gathering site in Cuba would be “located just off the coast of our home state in order to spy on the United States.” They added: “This escalation is the latest step in a long series of Chinese interventions in the Western Hemisphere and is a perfect demonstration of the evolution in their approach to the region.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for the 2024 Republican nomination, criticized the president over the development. “
Write to Warren P. Strobel at [email protected]
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