China is expanding its surveillance activities off the coast of the United States, according to a new report released Monday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Since at least 2019, China has been working closely with Cuba to expand its military and intelligence presence on the island, located about 200 miles off the coast of Florida. examination The CSIS report appears to indicate that Cuba is expanding its existing infrastructure in the region and establishing multiple signals intelligence (SIGINT) facilities on the island, raising concerns that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may be attempting surveillance activities inside the United States. according to To the Wall Street Journal. (Related article: Battery maker with ties to China's Communist Party spends billions on lobbying efforts under Congressional scrutiny)
“These are active sites with evolving missions,” Matthew Funaiole, a senior fellow at CSIS and lead author of the report, told the Journal.
China's ambitions to expand its global intelligence gathering reach extends to the U.S. China's activities in Cuba are shrouded in secrecy, but satellite imagery has revealed a new analysis of the spy facilities.
New Arrivals Anonymous: https://t.co/6sv4W6ScoG pic.twitter.com/obF4jD680O
— CSIS (@CSIS) July 2, 2024
Satellite imagery reviewed by CSIS shows upgrades and expansions at four military and intelligence facilities across Cuba. Some of these facilities have been identified in previous reports, but the report outlines further expansion efforts and possible ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
According to CSIS, the newest facility, whose existence has not previously been reported and which is still under construction, is located in eastern Cuba and is believed to be built for a complex and sophisticated network of antennas used to pick up electronic signals.
According to the WSJ, analysts and former U.S. government officials have expressed concern that the facilities are being used by China to tap sensitive communications from U.S. military, space and ship networks. Leland Lazarus, an expert on China and Latin America relations at Florida International University, told the WSJ that the facilities “could also help China use communications networks to spy on Americans.”
US intelligence agencies release annual threat report evaluation In February, China confirmed it was “considering building military facilities in several locations,” including in Cuba, but did not provide details.
No slander or libel by the United States can create a rift between China and our good friend Cuba, nor can it hide the United States' massive and indiscriminate surveillance activities around the world. pic.twitter.com/KSDPBKNJC7
— Office of Public Relations Officer (@MFA_China) June 12, 2023
More broadly, China is expanding its foothold in various parts of Latin and Central America, boosting trade ties with the region to record levels in 2023 while acting as the region's largest debt provider, increasing these countries' economic dependence on Beijing. China's military cooperation with the region is similarly expanding, with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) providing training and increasing arms sales to various Latin American and Caribbean countries.
China may also be stepping up its direct surveillance efforts in the U.S. In recent years, companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party have purchased farmland in the U.S., some near sensitive military facilities, raising concerns among lawmakers and encouraging new legislation to prevent such companies from buying up land.
Chinese intelligence networks operated at least seven different “service centers” in cities across the U.S. as of June 2023, according to an earlier review of state media and government records by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is waging an attack in our backyard,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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