US has “deep concerns” about China’s military actions in Cuba: State Secretary Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) – Beijing is planning a new training facility there, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Tuesday, after the Wall Street Journal reported that the United States is deeply concerned about Chinese military activities in Cuba.

Speaking at a press conference in London after completing a trip to Beijing this week, Blinken said he made it clear to his Chinese correspondents that “we would have deep concerns about PRC military or intelligence activities in Cuba.”

Blinken added: “It’s something we’re going to monitor very, very closely and we’re clear about that. We’re going to protect our land, we’re going to protect our interests.

The Wall Street Journal, citing current and former U.S. officials, said Tuesday that China and Cuba are in talks to establish a joint military training base on the island, which would lead to the deployment of Chinese troops 100 miles off Cuba’s coast. Florida

Discussions for the installation are at an advanced stage but far from over, and President Joe Biden’s government has contacted Cuban officials to try to block the deal, the paper said.

The White House’s National Security Council and the Cuban government did not initially respond to requests for comment on the report.

The US government said last week it had raised concerns with Cuba about Chinese espionage. The White House has long suspected China of conducting an intelligence-gathering operation in a village near Havana on Cuba’s northern coast.

China has denied using Cuba as a spy base. Cuba says the only military incursion into its territory is the US-owned naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar, with additional reporting by Matt Spedelnik and Dave Sherwood; Editing by David Sherwood)