Diaz-Balart: "The Biden Administration's Weakness is Emboldening our Enemies"

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-26) released the following statement after reports confirmed that Cuba will host a secret Chinese spy base, focusing on the United States, in Cuba.

“The malign activities of Communist China and the Cuban dictatorship have merged to establish an espionage base just off our shores in Cuba.

“The establishment of a Communist Chinese base within totalitarian Cuba is a dangerous incursion into our hemisphere and reveals an increasingly aggressive Communist China willing to threaten U.S. interests in our own backyard. The Biden Administration must condemn this threat to our national security interests, cease increasing diplomatic engagement or the relaxation of sanctions against the Cuban regime, and prevent these dangerous, anti-American adversaries from establishing a base to conduct espionage, cyberattacks, or other threats to the United States. It is clear that the Biden Administration’s weakness is emboldening our enemies. The deepening ties between our adversaries Communist China, Cuba, and Russia constitute a dangerous escalation of anti-American activity just miles from our shores.” 

Background:

Communist China has been helping the Cuban dictatorship stay afloat for years, but the establishment of a base is a dangerous escalation of their concerted malevolence in our hemisphere. Communist China has provided billions in loans, donated $100 million in the wake of Hurricane Ian, and provided trade and investment credits. The PRC has become the primary technology provider for ETECSA, Cuba’s state-run telecommunications company. Reportedly, the regime’s internet access is provided exclusively through PRC companies Huawei, TP-Link, and ZTE, which have shared the PRC’s ability to censor and shut down internet access at will. Additionally, Communist China reportedly provided a $120 million loan to build a container terminal at the Santiago port and has set up operations in Cuba’s Mariel Free Trade Zone. The Cuban regime provides official Spanish-language training for Chinese personnel, and allows Communist China to maintain a propaganda-providing Confucius Institute at the University of Havana. The Cuban dictatorship joined Communist China’s Belt and Road Initiative in 2018.