- Supporters of Havana attribute blame to the United States, while the Trump administration felt compelled to intervene before China could establish a military presence on the island.
- Recent intelligence has revealed that a Chinese signals intelligence facility has been active in Cuba since at least 2019.
- “China and Cuba are negotiating to set up a joint military training center on the island, which raises concerns in Washington regarding potential Chinese military activities close to the Florida coast.” — Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2023.
- President Donald Trump took measures to prevent China from establishing missile bases in Cuba.
Cuban society is nearing a breakdown, largely due to the U.S. naval embargo.
Supporters in Havana blame the U.S., but the Trump administration needed to act to avert a Chinese military stronghold.
The U.S. took control of Venezuela’s state oil firm PDVSA following the capture of Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an attack on January 3. Consequently, the U.S. cut off Venezuelan oil supplies to the Cuban government.
Simultaneously, the Trump administration threatened tariffs on oil providers and effectively blocked oil shipments to Cuba. The U.S. Navy has been intercepting vessels aimed at delivering cargo to Cuba.
In response, tankers have resorted to deceitful tactics to bypass U.S. military patrols. For instance, a tanker registered in Hong Kong, the Seahorse, reported being “not under command” and drifted in the Sargasso Sea for nearly three weeks. It effectively misrepresented its location and successfully discharged around 190,000 barrels of Russian diesel in Cuba earlier this month.
The Seahorse’s delivery marks the first confirmed shipment of refined products to Cuba since early January.
Due to U.S. actions, Cuba is facing severe energy shortages. The power grid has failed multiple times this month, plunging the island into darkness.
“Why is America doing this?” Jostein Hauge from Cambridge University questioned on social media regarding the blockade. “There’s no other rationale but animosity towards the Cuban regime. Cuba doesn’t threaten the U.S.”
But is that entirely accurate?
“China is using Cuba as a base for various regional intelligence and security operations,” Joseph Umire, former executive director of the Center for a Safe and Free Society, shared with this author back in 2021.
Notably, the Lourdes facility near Bejucar, once the largest Soviet listening post outside its borders, is under Chinese control since the Soviet Union’s downfall.
China has established more than just Lourdes. According to a December 2024 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, three suspected Chinese listening posts have been identified in Cuba. These include a Soviet-era site called Karabazar and a newer facility known as El Salao.
The report also notes that speculation about a Chinese intelligence presence in Cuba began after Chinese Defense Minister General Qi Haotian’s visit in 1999.
R. Evan Ellis from the U.S. Army War College mentioned that as early as 1993, China might have been operating wiretapping stations in Cuba.
The Wall Street Journal indicated that in June 2023, an agreement in principle had been struck between China and Cuba for a new monitoring base on the island. Although the Biden administration denied this, declassified information revealed that a Chinese intelligence facility had been in operation since at least 2019.
Cuba offers an advantageous position for monitoring the U.S. “Located within 160 miles of Florida, Cuba can effectively surveil sensitive communications and military activities,” the CSIS report explained. “The southeastern U.S. is home to numerous military installations and operations.”
Moreover, Cuba is an ideal spot for potential Chinese military bases. “China and Cuba are discussing the establishment of a joint military training facility, and this has raised alarms in Washington about a possible Chinese military presence just 100 miles from the Florida coast,” reported the Wall Street Journal in 2023.
While China dismissed the Wall Street Journal report as “completely misleading,” it’s evident that China aims to reinforce its facilities in Cuba, similar to its de facto military establishments across Latin America.
Also, President Donald Trump acted swiftly to prevent China from setting up missile bases in Cuba.
No matter what one thinks about the severe ramifications of the U.S. naval embargo, the humanitarian crisis in Cuba is intensifying, and the Havana regime poses a clear threat to the U.S. by allowing Chinese influence on the island.
