China in talks with Cuba regarding joint military training facility

Beijing and Havana are reportedly in talks about a joint military training facility in Cuba. This arrangement, if it is put into action, would give the Chinese Army a location to conduct training in Cuba. This would appear to be an extension of what the Chinese reportedly are already doing in Cuba. Team Biden has mentioned the fact that China has a base in Cuba from which they could conduct spying activities.

From Politico:

According to a senior U.S. official, Beijing and Havana are discussing what kind of training would take place at the facility and what the leadership structure would look like. Biden administration officials have brought up these talks with their counterparts in Beijing and Havana. It’s unclear, however, how far along China and Cuba are in their chats about the prospects for a deal, the official said.

Asked for comment, an administration official said the U.S. “can’t confirm on that reporting or comment on that specifically. We continue to be concerned about [China’s] longstanding activities with Cuba,” adding that Beijing “will keep trying to enhance its presence in Cuba, and we will keep working to disrupt it.”

The officials were granted anonymity to discuss a highly classified intelligence issue. The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the negotiations.

The revelation comes on the heels of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to China where on Monday he met with paramount leader Xi Jinping. While both men said the talks were fruitful, though devoid of clear deliverables, China refused to reestablish military-to-military communications like Washington wanted.

Asked about the report of the Cuba training base talks on Tuesday, Blinken told reporters he had made it “very clear” during his meetings in China this week that Washington has “deep concerns about PRC intelligence or military activities in Cuba.”

Politico has the balance of the story.

Category: China