Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, emphasized on Tuesday that the U.S. would harbour significant apprehensions if China were to undertake military activities in Cuba. This assertion follows a Wall Street Journal report suggesting Beijing's plans for a new training facility on the island nation.
Blinken, speaking at a press conference in London following his recent Beijing visit, expressed to Chinese officials that the U.S. would view any Chinese intelligence or military activities in Cuba with "deep concerns."
"We're going to be monitoring this very, very closely," said Blinken. "We've been very clear about that. And we will protect our homeland, we will protect our interests."
Citing both present and former U.S. officials, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that China and Cuba are allegedly in discussions to establish a joint military training base on the island, potentially stationing Chinese troops only 100 miles away from Florida's coast.
According to the report, the negotiations for the facility are in an advanced stage, yet not finalized. The Biden administration has reportedly been in contact with Cuban authorities to prevent the deal from coming to fruition.
Neither the White House National Security Council nor the Cuban government has issued a comment regarding the report yet.
Last week, Washington expressed its concerns to Cuba about the potential hosting of Chinese espionage operations. For a long time, the U.S. government has harboured suspicions that China operates an intelligence-gathering operation in a village close to Havana, situated on Cuba's northern coast.
China has categorically denied using Cuba as a base for spying activities. Cuba, in response, maintains that the only military intrusion within its borders is the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, a U.S. property.
