China’s Intelligence Activities in Cuba Raise Concerns for U.S. Security

The State Department reported on Monday that China is conducting intelligence operations in Cuba, which raises significant concerns for U.S. national security. These activities are said to be happening at three facilities in Cuba where China gathers signals intelligence (SIGINT) to monitor the United States.

On the same day, a 100-page report titled “Cuba: Capital of Communism in the 21st Century” was released, detailing the Castro regime’s actions against the U.S. since Fidel Castro’s takeover in 1959.

This report also discusses Cuba’s connections with various international terrorist groups and anti-American governments, including China, Iran, and Russia. These alliances pose risks to U.S. national security. Furthermore, it highlights efforts by the Cuban Communist Party to infiltrate U.S. politics and influence college campuses across the country.

The State Department noted that, due to the fall of the Soviet Union—the previous major supporter of Cuba—the Cuban military has shrunk in size and budget. Despite this, anti-American intelligence operations have intensified, particularly targeted at the U.S., with backing from China and Russia. In the last three years, the number of Cuban intelligence agents reportedly tripled.

Specifically regarding China, the report indicated that a secret deal was struck with the Castro regime to construct a new Chinese SIGINT facility in Cuba in 2023. This facility is expected to enhance China’s capability to collect electronic communications and observe U.S. maritime activities, particularly near southeastern military bases.

The State Department pointed out that there are 18 intelligence facilities in Cuba, three of which are managed by Cuba itself. A prior June report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) suggested at least one of these Chinese-operated facilities is already in use.

According to another CSIS report from 2024, four SIGINT facilities—located in Wajay, Calabazar, El Salao, and Bejucar—are either operational or being built in Cuba. Notably, Bejukal was previously a storage site for Soviet nuclear warheads during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

The State Department further noted that a recent CSIS addendum reported the installation of a new Circularly Deployed Antenna Array (CDAA) at Bejukal, which is capable of monitoring signals from thousands of miles away.

The report emphasized the following:

The presence of Chinese intelligence in Cuba poses a serious risk to the operational security of the U.S. military. Military installations, combat commands, space launch centers, and other sensitive sites in the southeastern United States are particularly vulnerable to technological surveillance from Cuba, affecting U.S. air, space, and maritime activities as well.

While China benefits from this intelligence-gathering position, the Castro regime gains from its ties to China through financial support, debt relief, and substantial investments.

This partnership between China and Cuba also has broader implications for Latin America. The State Department noted that from 2002 to 2019, China conducted over 200 high-level assessments in the region, with trade between China and Latin America ballooning from $12 billion to nearly $315 billion during that time. China and Russia have supplied surveillance technologies to authoritarian regimes in the area to suppress dissent and diminish pro-American opposition.

Moreover, the report stated that China is expanding its military presence in the region, with Cuba being one of the potential sites for new military installations, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s 2024 Annual Threat Assessment.

Recent military exercises by the Chinese also mock combat scenarios in Latin America and the Caribbean, hinting at Beijing’s strategic consideration of this region in potential future conflicts with the U.S.