Semafor Signals
Why China may be bolstering its spy bases in Cuba
Insights from The Wall Street Journal and BBC
The News
Satellite images have revealed the expansion of suspected Chinese spy bases in Cuba, The Wall Street Journal reported, as the two countries eye closer defense and intelligence ties.
A new study conducted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies found that new electronic eavesdropping stations — believed to belong to China — have been constructed in the Caribbean island nation, including a previously unreported site about 70 miles from the US Naval base Guantánamo Bay.
SIGNALS
Concern mounts that China is trying to spy on US
Experts fear that Beijing is constructing new spy bases in Cuba due to its proximity to the US, with concerns growing that China could be surveilling American citizens. Four sites analyzed by CSIS — that had previously been identified as likely belonging to China — were found to have expanded their technology, The Wall Street Journal noted. “These are active locations with an evolving mission set,” Matthew Funaiole, a senior fellow at CSIS, told the Journal. The bases could “bolster” Chinese telecommunication networks, an analyst told the Journal, and could “scoop up sensitive electronic communications” from American facilities, the outlet noted.
Chinese spy capabilities surpass the West’s
Estimates by the intelligence community suggest that China has employed 600,000 people as spies, the BBC reported in May. The resources Beijing puts into espionage surpasses any other state in the world — and it’s possible that Western allies have been slow to understand the threat that Chinese spying poses, one expert told the British broadcaster. Western countries are also spying on China, but struggle to collect intelligence to the same level: “The pervasive nature of surveillance inside the country, thanks to facial recognition and digital tracking, makes the traditional model of human intelligence… near-impossible,” the BBC’s security correspondent Gordon Corera wrote.
