China eyeing military training facility in Cuba: report

China is preparing to construct a joint military training facility in Cuba, potentially putting Beijing’s troops less than 100 miles from American soil.

The facility, the establishment of which is under discussion but not yet a done deal, may house Chinese and Cuban forces as the two nations head toward an agreement that has caused unease among current and former US military officials, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

The report emerged one day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a visit to Beijing, where he met with Chinese officials including President Xi Jinping — but failed to secure the reopening of military-to-military communications between the two adversaries.

During his visit, Blinken raised concerns about Chinese activities in Cuba, according to a State Department readout.

Earlier this month, the White House admitted that Beijing has had a spy base in Cuba since at least 2019 after initially denying reports that the two Communist nations had agreed to build a listening post.

“We are monitoring and responding to any PRC attempts to expand its military or security presence around the world. And we watch closely how the PRC’s actions impact the United States,” a State Department spokesperson told The Post, using the abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China.
“Our experts assess that our diplomatic efforts [with Cuba] have slowed the PRC down. We think the PRC isn’t quite where they had hoped to be.

“There are still challenges, and we continue to be concerned about the PRC’s longstanding activities with Cuba,” the rep added. “The PRC will keep trying to enhance its presence in Cuba, and we will keep working to disrupt it. We have to protect the ongoing work of our diplomats, and intelligence and security professionals.”

“I’m not aware of what you mentioned,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Tuesday when asked about the Journal report. “We hope relevant parties will focus their time and efforts on doing things that are conducive to mutual trust and regional peace, stability and development.”

“[Chinese] diplomats told Secretary Blinken that the US must choose between cooperation with China and conflict,” Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Select Subcommittee on Countering the Chinese Communist Party, told The Post.

“The CCP seeks to paint any competitive action that does not further its authoritarian vision as a provocation,” Gallagher added. “The Biden Administration must push back against this insidious framing, and not-so-veiled threat. Only one party seeks to upend the peaceful status quo in the Taiwan Strait, only one party is committing genocide, only one party is militarizing islands in the South China Sea — the Chinese Communist Party.”

Beijing cut off the hotline between the two militaries after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited Taiwan in August 2022, which Chinese officials called a “serious provocation” and a sign the US was “interfering in China’s internal affairs.”

“China is not the old China of 120 years ago, and we are not Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan — we will not allow any foreign force to bully, suppress or enslave us,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said later that month.

China’s military frequently performs maneuvers over Taiwan and the US has responded by sailing warships through the Taiwan Strait to discourage Beijing’s attempt to control the international waters.

The US has also helped with training of Taiwan’s military forces, increasing tensions with China as the island sits roughly the same distance from its shores as Cuba does from the US.

On Saturday, President Biden said China made an “embarrassing” decision to float a spy balloon that traversed the US earlier this year before being shot down by military forces, but did not denounce Beijing.

“I don’t think the leadership knew where it was, and knew what was in it, and knew what was going on,” Biden, 80, told reporters. “I think it was more embarrassing than it was intentional.”