Cuba to host secret Chinese spy base to monitor US communication

The US shot down a Chinese spy balloon in February

Chinese spy balloon

Cuba has reportedly given permission to China to build a secret spy facility in the country to eavesdrop on United States electronic communication.

According to reports, Beijing will pay Havana several billion dollars for eavesdropping facility. CNN reported that the US learned about the plan only recently and it is unclear whether China has already begun building the surveillance facility. 

CNN quoting a source reported that the spy base in Cuba would be concerning and China has already established footholds inside the US – like secret police stations, that the Biden administration has begun to crack down on. 

However, responding to the reports, the White House said the reports were “inaccurate.” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby was quoted saying to MSNBC, “It's not accurate." 

The US recently shot down a Chinese spy balloon which Beijing claimed to be just a weather monitoring device. According to reports, the Chinese balloon that flew across the United States was able to gather intelligence from several US military sites. The intelligence China collected then was mostly from electronic signals, which can be picked up from weapons systems or include communications from base personnel, rather than images, reports said. 

The spy balloon which Beijing claimed was being used for weather monitoring flew over the United States and Canada for over a week early in February before being shot down off the Atlantic Coast on President Joe Biden's orders.

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