World R


China Tightens Grip Around U.S.


A new spy facility in Cuba is the latest off ensive foray into the Western Hemisphere.


eports that china is in talks with Cuba to set up a new joint military training facility on the island have


heightened alertness across the mili- tary and political brass in the United States.


Chinese troops or military hard-


ware within less than 100 miles off the Florida coast is a cause for concern. Though few details are available


and few clarifi cations will be forthcom- ing, there is much speculation about what the facility could be used for. It is widely believed that the Chinese


have been eavesdropping on Ameri- can communications from the base in Lourdes near Havana and three other Cuban locations since 2019. According to The Wall Street Jour-


nal, workers from Chinese telecommu- nications hardware makers Huawei Technologies and ZTE were seen at these facilities, raising suspicion that the tech giants could have helped to upgrade the intelligence gathering sta- tions.


Communications and electronic emissions from southern and eastern U.S. military bases may be monitored and used to gather intel. As usual, China has vehemently


denied the existence of such facilities and stated that it is not spying on America.


SECURITY IMPLICATIONS The latest proposed facility in Cuba could be used to house and deploy anti- ship cruise missiles, which could aff ect the movement of American naval ves- sels. The location of the upcoming port also puts U.S. naval bases in Florida within striking range. Seen in conjunction with Beijing’s


36 NEWSMAX | AUGUST 2023 nuclear arsenal expansion


and aggressive stance on mul- tiple issues, the recent devel- opment does raise eyebrows.


According to the Pentagon, China is expected to quadruple its warheads by 2035. The current guesstimate is that the country has close to 400 war- heads.


The apparent shift in Beijing’s


thinking — from nuclear weapons as a defense mechanism to deter attacks, to upping their off ensive strike capa- bilities — bodes ill for world peace. This is not Beijing’s fi rst foray


into the Western Hemisphere, either. Reports have emerged that an agree- ment has been reached with a Chinese company to build a multipurpose port in the most populated city of Tierra del Fuego, Rio Grande, in Argentina. It has been reported that China


already operates an alleged satellite tracking station in Neuquen province staff ed with Chinese military and civilian personnel, which Argentines are rarely allowed to visit. Once commissioned, the naval


facility will bring China closer to Ant- arctica and allow Beijing to have more infl uence on the passage between the Atlantic and Pacifi c oceans. Besides this, the Freeport Contain-


er Port in the Bahamas, located about 90 miles from Palm Beach, Florida, is fi nanced by Hong Kong-based Hutchi- son Ports. There are fears that its fate could parallel Sri Lanka’s Hamban- tota port, and the strategic maritime facility could fall into Chinese hands. The deep-water Freeport facility


could also be used by Chinese naval vessels at a future date. The Pentagon has also reported that China could have made similar overtures to other


countries, including Islands and Vanuatu. China and Cuba have much in com-


mon. Beyond shared ideological roots, Beijing has stepped in to fi ll the vacuum left by the collapse of the former Soviet Union, Cuba’s onetime main ally. Diplomatic and trade relations


between the two have been steadily growing over the past six decades. Today, China is Cuba’s second-larg-


est trading partner, and cooperation extends to various sectors, including infrastructure development, telecom- munications, energy, and tourism.


U.S. RESPONSE With Beijing escalating tensions with Taiwan, military and security strat- egy experts believe that China could gain strategic geopolitical leverage with a base in Cuba. Too close to the U.S. mainland for comfort, the Cuban facility could distract or tie up strate- gic military resources down south. Should President Xi Jinping use


military force to reunite Taiwan, a Chinese naval facility within 100 miles of America could become a bar- gaining chip in the battle. The brazen spy balloon incident


earlier in the year has made it clear that Beijing’s audacity knows no bounds. With much of Latin Amer- ica leaning toward the left, and the U.S. committed to a “however long it takes” war in Ukraine, Beijing is mak- ing moves that will have long-term repercussions. — TIPP Insights


the Solomon


CHINA/ALEXLMX/SHUTTERSTOCK / HAVANA/ANDREI ARMIAGOV/SHUTTERSTOCK


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