Regarding New Spy Base: White House Calls US Contact Cuba, Maintains Communication with China

JAKARTA - The United States has conveyed its concerns to the Cuban government regarding reports of a new Chinese spy base on the territory of the country, said White House spokesman John Kirby.

Kirby said bilateral relations with China were strained at the moment. However, President Joe Biden is committed to keeping the lines of communication open.

In a briefing at the White House Kirby said she did not expect the latest reports about Chinese spy bases in Cuba to affect a planned visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China later this week.

"We understand that bilateral relations with China are strained at the moment, and nothing has changed about the fact that the president wants to keep lines of communication open with the PRC," Kirby told reporters, using the initials of the People's Republic of China.

The Wall Street Journal last week quoted US officials as saying China's spying efforts were under way in Cuba. China on Monday denied it was using Cuba as a spying base.

Meanwhile, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Monday again dismissed the accusations as false, deeming them a US fabrication meant to justify a decades-old economic embargo against the country.

Foreign Minister Blinken told reporters on Monday that China's efforts in Cuba were part of a global push by Beijing to expand its presence overseas. But US actions since President Biden took office in January 2021 have "slowed down this effort."