China and Cuba jointly agreed to create a listening point for Chinese intelligence on the island nation; It will monitor US military and civilian communications and reflect US efforts to gather intelligence off the coast of China via ships and aircraft. The real question is how far this cooperation between the two countries will go. Since the last time Cuba became friends with an enemy of the USA, it has hosted nuclear warhead missiles.

Agreement, what about for the first time reported The Wall Street GazetteIt will allow China to set up a signals intelligence (SIGINT) listening point in Cuba. According to the US National Security Agencyradio intelligence is “intelligence derived from electronic signals and systems used by foreign targets, such as communications, radar, and weapons systems, that provide a vital window for the United States into the capabilities, actions, and intentions of foreign enemies.”

officials meeting with daily, the base can also be used to listen to e-mail, phone calls and satellite broadcasts; this will likely include both military and civilian communications. When asked about the base, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the United States routinely takes steps against China’s military activities in the Western Hemisphere: “We are watching it closely, taking steps to counter it, and we are confident that we are making all our security commitments at home, in the region.” and we can fulfill it in the world.”

The base is a direct response to US intelligence gathering activities along Chinese borders, including RC-135 reconnaissance flights along the Chinese coast. China has long complained about the flights, arguing that the US should stay on the side of the planet, but the new base and long-range spy projectile flights in and around the US show that China is taking steps to get into Washington’s backyard. – and even into the living room as shown Part of the Chinese spy balloon in February 2023.

The Sino-Cuban espionage deal is not surprising. The Cuban economy needs some serious currency and one of the things Havana can sell is its geostrategic location. Located not far from Florida, the island nation sits in the vacuum of the United States and offers unparalleled access to southeastern states and military bases located in the southeast region.

In the foreground, a series of vehicles and ballistic missile fuel tanks, San Cristóbal, Cuba, 1962.

This was the reach the Soviet Union used during Operation Anadyr in 1962. After establishing the listening post, the Soviet Union rapidly expanded its military forces in and around the island nation. Anadyr deployed 40,000 Soviet troops to Cuba, including air, land and naval forces, and nuclear weapons. Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba would be countered with US nuclear weapons stationed in Western Europe and Japan, threatening the entire East Coast. The deployment led to a serious crisis between the USA and the USSR.

Could the establishment of a Chinese listening post eventually lead to the deployment of Chinese combat troops or even nuclear weapons? China and Cuba are not allies in the sense that the USSR and Cuba are; Moscow and Havana were bound together by strong ideological ties and revolutionary socialism. The agreement between Beijing and Havana is more transactional as it is motivated by the need to counter US espionage on the Chinese side and the need for a solid currency on the Cuban side.

With all this, China will almost certainly send troops to protect the listening post from the prying eyes of both Cubans and the United States. It’s a slippery slope that could lead to larger and more powerful ground forces. Supporters of the Chinese Communist Party could argue that these ground forces would be on the other side of the planet, in the backyard of the world’s most powerful army, and would need their own air and naval support. It could be argued that the more soldiers, the more investments, and ultimately these troops will need nuclear weapons to defend themselves.

China is walking in America’s backyard: If it walks lightly, the new base will be just a footnote in history. The US managed to deal with a similar Soviet base during the Cold War and eventually improved relations. But if China significantly expands its military presence in Cuba, it could trigger a new crisis. The United States will not accept any more Chinese nuclear weapons than Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba. Source