Secret Signals: Decoding China’s Intelligence Activities in Cuba
By: Matthew P. Funaiole, Aidan Powers-Riggs, Brian Hart, Henry Ziemer, Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., Ryan C. Berg, and Christopher Hernandez-Roy
China’s ambitions to expand its global intelligence-gathering capabilities have drawn it to the doorstep of the United States. In a striking revelation last year, Biden administration officials disclosed that China has access to multiple spy facilities in Cuba. While China’s activities on the island remain shrouded in secrecy, satellite imagery analyzed by CSIS provides the latest and most comprehensive assessment of where China is most likely operating.
Sitting less than 100 miles south of Florida, Cuba is well positioned to keep watch on sensitive communications and activities in the region, including those of the U.S. military.
The southeastern seaboard of the United States brims with military bases, combatant command headquarters, space launch centers, and military testing sites.
