China has been spying on the U.S. from Cuba for years, Biden administration official says

China has spied on the United States from Cuba for years, according to Biden administration officials.

The acknowledgment comes days after the Biden administration denied Thursday’s Wall Street Journal report that China and Cuba had reached an agreement to put an electronic wiretapping facility in Cuba, calling the story inaccurate. was broken

But on Saturday, the administration also said that China had installed hearing stations in Cuba for many years and that it was an issue that the administration had “taken over”, and that China renovated the facilities in 2019.

“When this administration took office in January 2021, we were briefed on a number of classified matters. [People’s Republic of China] Globally expand overseas logistics, bases and collection infrastructure, [People’s Liberation Army] To project and sustain military power farther,” an administration official said.

The official said the Chinese government was reviewing locations around the world, and in 2019 upgraded its intelligence-gathering facilities in Cuba, which were “well documented in intelligence records.” said.

“This is a problem the administration has inherited,” the official added. “Despite several attempts in previous administrations to recognize the commitment to bases and to address this challenge, our assessment is that sufficient progress has not been made and a more direct approach is needed. rice field.”

As to why the White House, the Pentagon and others flatly denied the Journal’s report despite knowing that China had been spying from Cuba for years, the official said, He said the article was inaccurate because it described the wiretapping as a new development.

“This is an ongoing issue, not a new development, and the arrangements characterized in the press are inconsistent with our understanding,” the official said.

An article published by NBC News on Saturday morning questioned whether the Biden administration was deliberately downplaying China’s provocative moves as it sought to coordinate high-level diplomatic talks between the two countries. .

An administration official said that President Joe Biden ordered officials to deal with Chinese espionage from Cuba early in his term, and that efforts “delayed China’s move.”

“The president directed his team to devise an approach to addressing this challenge. We have been working at a high level and exchanging information with governments considering hosting Chinese bases,” the official said. . “

“Our experts assess that our diplomatic efforts have slowed China down,” the official said. ‘ added. “The challenges remain, and we remain concerned about China’s longstanding activities against Cuba. China will continue to strive to increase its presence in Cuba, and we will continue to strive to disrupt Cuba. .”