China is in talks to build a joint military training facility in Cuba, triggering alarm in the Biden administration at the prospect of Chinese troops within 100 miles of Florida’s coast, according to a new report.
Discussions are at an advanced stage but are not yet final, and the Biden administration has contacted Havana in an attempt to head off the deal, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing current and former US officials.
The officials said the plans were revealed in highly classified new US intelligence, which they said is being interpreted with varying levels of alarm by analysts and policymakers.
Concerningly for US officials, the proposed Cuban base is part of China’s ‘Project 141,’ a plan to build a global network of military bases and logistical support, sources told the Journal.
It follows US allegations that China is running electronic spy bases on Cuba, in an attempt to eavesdrop on sensitive military communications.
A spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington DC referred questions to recent remarks from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.
‘I’m not aware of what you mentioned,’ Mao said in response to a question about the plans for a military base in Cuba at a regular briefing with reporters on Tuesday.
‘We hope relevant parties will focus their time and efforts on doing things that are conducive to mutual trust and regional peace, stability and development,’ she added.
Word of the proposed training facility comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a two-day diplomatic visit to Beijing, where he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, but failed to establish military hotlines sought by the US side.
Blinken said China is not ready to resume direct military-to-military contacts, something the US considers crucial to avoid miscalculation and conflict, particularly over Taiwan.
China has been resistant to the kind of direct hotlines that were in place between the US and USSR during the Cold War, believing they could embolden American troops to take provocative actions.
Meanwhile, issues regarding Cuba are increasingly coming to the fore in tensions between DC and Beijing.
Last week, US officials accused Beijing of using Cuba as an electronic spying post.
US officials say that China and Cuba jointly operate four electronic surveillance posts around the island, and that China significantly upgraded its intelligence collection facilities there in 2019.
