Eavesdropping on the USA: China apparently finances espionage station in Cuba

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China's President Xi Jinping is waiting for a meeting with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel: shift in geopolitical coordinates

Photo: POOL/ REUTERS

So far, the showdown between the People's Republic of China and the United States has taken place mainly in the Pacific. Now the geopolitical coordinates are said to be shifting – towards the Caribbean. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, China has concluded an espionage agreement with the island nation of Cuba. This is reported by the newspaper, citing US intelligence circles.

The core of the deal: Beijing is to finance a listening station on the Caribbean island, which can be used to spy on the United States in particular. The People's Republic is therefore prepared to invest several billion US dollars in the project. According to U.S. intelligence officials, the facility could be able to intercept shipping traffic as well as communications in the southeastern United States.

Tensions intensified

Tensions between Washington and Beijing – considered by the US national security apparatus to be the main military, economic and strategic rival – have increased significantly over the past year. China responded to a visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, then chairman of the House of Representatives, by conducting military exercises around the island.

China has long claimed Taiwan as part of its territory. Recently, a dispute over alleged spy balloons sent by China also caused diplomatic trouble. And in the waters off Taiwan, a Chinese and a US warship recently came dangerously close to each other.

According to a blog post by Microsoft's cybersecurity department, suspected state-backed Chinese hackers are also targeting critical infrastructure in the United States. In addition to targets in the heartland of the United States, the attackers have also attacked sites on the Pacific island of Guam, where the United States operates large military bases. According to the company, the actions can be traced back to a hacker group known as "Volt Typhoon", which has been active since 2021.

The rapprochement between China and Cuba brings back memories of the Cuban missile crisis. At that time, the island state was closely allied with the Soviet Union. In 1962, the world was on the brink of nuclear war after Moscow deployed nuclear missiles in Cuba.

Mrc