Thank God we’ve got…

Oh shit!

quote:

China and Cuba have reached a secret agreement for China to establish an electronic eavesdropping facility on the island, in a brash new geopolitical challenge by Beijing to the U.S., according to U.S. officials familiar with highly classified intelligence.

An eavesdropping facility in Cuba, roughly 100 miles from Florida, would allow Chinese intelligence services to scoop up electronic communications throughout the southeastern U.S., where many military bases are located, and monitor U.S. ship traffic.

Officials familiar with the matter said that China has agreed to pay cash-strapped Cuba several billion dollars to allow it to build the eavesdropping station and that the two countries had reached an agreement in principle.

WSJ on Chinese Spy Base in Cuba

[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/184375216@N03/],

Well, if John Kirby says it’s ok…

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Why do y'all do this? Not point in even making a post of no one can read it. In my mind a unaccessible link = no link and thread should be locked.

I’m sorry. I don’t subscribe to the WSJ, but I get an emails with articles from them. The link is hot for me. I honestly didn’t know others couldn’t read it. Tell you what, I’ll copy and paste the entire article.

Does this work for you, skins?

“ WASHINGTON—China and Cuba have reached a secret agreement for China to establish an electronic eavesdropping facility on the island, in a brash new geopolitical challenge by Beijing to the U.S., according to U.S. officials familiar with highly classified intelligence.

An eavesdropping facility in Cuba, roughly 100 miles from Florida, would allow Chinese intelligence services to scoop up electronic communications throughout the southeastern U.S., where many military bases are located, and monitor U.S. ship traffic.

Officials familiar with the matter said that China has agreed to pay cash-strapped Cuba several billion dollars to allow it to build the eavesdropping station and that the two countries had reached an agreement in principle.

The revelation about the planned site has sparked alarm within the Biden administration because of Cuba’s proximity to the U.S. mainland. Washington regards Beijing as its most significant economic and military rival. A Chinese base with advanced military and intelligence capabilities in the U.S.’s backyard could be an unprecedented new threat.

China's Plan to Pay for a Secret Cuban Spy Base

On Wednesday evening, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, said he couldn’t comment on the details of The Wall Street Journal’s reporting but noted that the U.S. was monitoring and taking steps to counter the Chinese government’s efforts to invest in infrastructure that might have military purposes.

On Thursday, after publication of this article, Kirby said, “This report is not accurate,” without providing any details. He added: “We remain confident that we are able to meet all our security commitments at home and in the region.”

Cuba’s Embassy in Washington said Thursday that the article was “totally mendacious and unfounded information.” The Chinese Embassy had no comment.

U.S. officials described the intelligence on the planned Cuba site, apparently gathered in recent weeks, as convincing. They said the base would enable China to conduct signals intelligence, known in the espionage world as sigint, which could include the monitoring of a range of communications, including emails, phone calls and satellite transmissions.

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Singapore last week. PHOTO: VINCENT THIAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Officials declined to provide more details about the proposed location of the listening station or whether construction had begun. It couldn’t be determined what, if anything, the Biden administration could do to stop completion of the facility.

In a joint statement, the top lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee said a Chinese eavesdropping facility in Cuba would pose a “serious threat to our national security and sovereignty” and urged the administration to take action.

“We are deeply disturbed by reports that Havana and Beijing are working together to target the United States and our people,” said Sens. Mark Warner (D., Va.), the chairman of the panel, and Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), the vice chairman.

Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador and current Republican presidential candidate, wrote on Twitter: “Joe Biden needs to wake up to the real Chinese threats on our doorstep.”

The U.S. has intervened before to stop foreign powers from extending their influence in the Western Hemisphere, most notably during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The U.S. and the Soviet Union came to the brink of nuclear war after the Soviets deployed nuclear-capable missiles to Cuba, prompting a U.S. Navy quarantine of the island.

The Soviets backed down and removed the missiles. A few months later, the U.S. quietly removed intermediate-range ballistic missiles from Turkey that the Soviets had complained about.”

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Why do y'all do this? Not point in even making a post of no one can read it. In my mind a unaccessible link = no link and thread should be locked.

I’m sorry. I don’t subscribe to the WSJ, but I get an emails with articles from them. The link is hot for me. I honestly didn’t know others couldn’t read it. Tell you what, I’ll copy and paste the entire article.

Thanks!

Zero confidence current administration will be able to apply pressure or grease wheels or whatever is necessary.

quote:

China and Cuba have reached a secret agreement

How is it a secret if we're reading about it in the Wall Street Journal?

The politician's biggest concern is that China will discontinue bribing politicians to gather intelligence

Just add this to the list of things that would NOT be happening if Trump was President!

Weakness invites aggression

Blockade time again?

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

China and Cuba have reached a secret agreement

How is it a secret if we're reading about it in the Wall Street Journal?

On the internet no less.

“My best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who’s going with the girl who heard the Chinese whispering to the Cubans at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it’s pretty serious.”

Kristy Swanson

I don't see the problem here. China has agents renting apartments in Crystal City and Pentagon City, VA within line of sight of the Pentagon. Everyone knows they do it and our regime lets it continue. They buy land near military bases and we do nothing about it. Well, some states pass laws against it, but I'm sure those laws will never survive the court challenges.

And let's face it - we have assets all over China's neighbors and in the neighboring waters. We do the same thing too. China may not have a blue water navy yet, but they have no problem getting pretty close to us.

Why would they pay Cuba billions when they are allowed to fly over with cheap-ass balloons without problems?

I thought China already had such a facility in Cuba.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by Rick Lee:
I don't see the problem here. China has agents renting apartments in Crystal City and Pentagon City, VA within line of sight of the Pentagon. Everyone knows they do it and our regime lets it continue. They buy land near military bases and we do nothing about it. Well, some states pass laws against it, but I'm sure those laws will never survive the court challenges.

And let's face it - we have assets all over China's neighbors and in the neighboring waters. We do the same thing too. China may not have a blue water navy yet, but they have no problem getting pretty close to us.

I heard their navy was larger than ours, but that may be stretching the comparion criteria by quite a bit, though I don't actually know.

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
I thought China already had such a facility in Cuba.

flashguy

I believe if we looked we would find them all over the US, crawing all over the place like ants at a picnic.

I guess we will have to send over some F8's and take some photos. Chinese Missile Crisis.

Every Cuban I ever met were awesome people and I expect the same from the people that still live there. It will suck when and if the island is totally taken over by the Chinese.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:

I believe if we looked we would find them all over the US, crawing all over the place like ants at a picnic.

Exactly. I see nothing new here.

History repeats itself. The Russians did the same during the Cold War.