During the Trump administration, US officials reviewed intelligence that employees of China’s Huawei and ZTE had visited Cuban facilities believed to house Chinese eavesdropping equipment. This information, according to sources familiar with the matter, has contributed to the Trump administration’s suspicions that telecommunications companies are helping to expand Chinese intelligence capabilities on the island. At the same time, The Wall Street Journal According to his writings, neither Huawei nor ZTE are known to make devices used for eavesdropping, but they do manufacture several pieces of equipment — such as servers or other network equipment — that are essential to such operations.
China has maintained a spy base in Cuba since at least 2019, according to the newspaper, which also wrote that, according to US officials, the two countries jointly run centers suitable for eavesdropping. Beijing and Havana are also discussing establishing a joint military base.
The White House said China’s efforts to expand its intelligence capabilities in Cuba continue.
US officials have long claimed that the Chinese government is also using the country’s telecom companies to spy, so the US has been trying to persuade its allies to remove Huawei devices from their 5G networks for years.
Huawei says it does not spy on China.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that he had raised the issue of Cuban bases during his trip to Beijing, while National Security Council spokesman John Kirby also said on Tuesday: It is no secret that China is trying to increase its influence in the country. Western Hemisphere, which includes relations with Cuba.
Also on Tuesday, Mike Gallagher, the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s Special Committee, wrote to Intelligence Director Avril Haines and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo for information about US export restrictions on Chinese telecom companies.
According to the letter, Huawei has been helping the Cuban government develop its communications infrastructure since the 2000s. This is also risky, according to Gallagher, because China’s official policy also supports the use of trade ties to achieve military and intelligence goals. According to the representative, the companies’ commercial presence also provides excellent coverage for state agents.
In 2019, the US Department of Commerce placed Huawei on a list in which deliveries to the company could only be made with a special permit, and this order was tightened in 2020.
Warning in America: China will set up a military base in Cuba – “Project 141”Referring to secret but leaked intelligence information, the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal wrote that China is preparing to set up a military training center in Cuba, 200 kilometers from the coast of the United States, with amazing audacity. |
