The senior administration official, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue, said China’s espionage is an ongoing concern and that the United States is taking steps to address it.
“When this administration takes office in January 2021, we will expand China’s overseas logistics, hubs and collection infrastructure globally to [military] To project and sustain military power farther,” the official said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
“This effort involved the presence of Chinese intelligence gathering facilities in Cuba,” the official confirmed. “In fact, China implemented an upgrade of Cuban intelligence collection facilities in 2019, which is well documented in intelligence records.”
President Joe Biden has directed his administration to address the issue. “Within a few months, we did,” the official said, noting that the impetus for engaging with Beijing over the spy posts was through diplomacy.
The official didn’t go into details, but said the engagement had “consequences” and that “our experts assess that our diplomatic efforts slowed China’s slowdown.”
“We believe that China has not yet reached the level that it had hoped,” the official said. “China will continue to strive to increase its presence in Cuba, and we will continue to strive to disrupt Cuba.”
The administration initially claimed the reports were inaccurate, but the reports prompted both leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee to issue a joint statement on Thursday.
“The United States must respond to China’s continued and brazen attacks on our security. We have to make it clear that it is unacceptable to establish it,” the senator said. Mark Warner (Virginia) and Marco Rubio (Florida Republican) They said.
Secretary of State Antony Brinken is due to visit China next week and will almost certainly discuss the issue with ministers.
