A bombshell congressional hearing this week revealed that China is rapidly expanding its spy infrastructure just 100 miles off the Florida coast — and members of Congress are calling it one of the most “brazen intelligence operations ever attempted” near the U.S. mainland.
The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, led by Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), sounded the alarm Tuesday over multiple Chinese signals intelligence (SIGINT) stations being built — or already operating — inside Cuba.
Here’s What They Found
According to a new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), China is constructing at least four advanced surveillance sites in Cuba, with one located at Bejucal, a Cold War-era outpost long rumored to house foreign intelligence activity.
These facilities could intercept emails, phone calls, satellite signals, and even military communications across the southeastern U.S., a region that includes critical American defense assets like Cape Canaveral and U.S. Southern Command in Miami.
The Chinese have even deployed high-tech antenna systems — like the Circular Disposed Antenna Array (CDAA) — similar to what they’ve placed on militarized islands in the South China Sea.
‘We Are Squarely in the Crosshairs’
“This puts our military operations, commercial activity, and communications squarely in the crosshairs of a hostile foreign power,” warned Rep. Gimenez.
Experts told lawmakers that Beijing’s partnership with Cuba isn’t new — it dates back 30 years — but is rapidly evolving thanks to Chinese cash and technology. China reportedly paid Havana “several billion” dollars to secure its first site in 2023 alone.
Ryan Berg of CSIS testified that Cuba’s leftover Soviet hardware from the Cold War gave Beijing a ready-made surveillance network they could simply modernize. He described China’s growing presence as a “strategic arrangement”: Cuba gets financial lifelines, and China gets access to America’s backyard.
Biden’s Blind Spot?
The Biden administration originally denied the 2023 Wall Street Journal report that broke the story. Only after widespread backlash did the White House admit that it knew of China’s spy bases — but claimed it was better to keep Americans in the dark.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at the time it wasn’t “beneficial” to inform the public while intelligence was still being developed.
But the threat hasn’t gone away. If anything, it’s getting worse.
Trump Sounds the Alarm
President Donald Trump, now back in office, has repeatedly warned that China is emboldened by Biden-era weakness and secrecy. At a recent rally, he blasted the Biden team for “letting China fleece us,” not just on trade, but now on espionage.
Trump’s team is now pushing for more declassification of satellite imagery and intel to expose Chinese aggression — a tactic that forced China to halt one construction site after CSIS brought attention to it.
What’s Next?
Congress is demanding a formal threat assessment from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and is likely to increase pressure for sanctions, surveillance rollbacks, or even diplomatic expulsions tied to Beijing’s Cuba operations.
The bipartisan letter from the Homeland Security and China Select Committees warned:
“If left unchecked, the PRC’s activities in Cuba could establish a forward operating base for electronic warfare… directly undermining U.S. national security interests.”
For now, the warning is clear: China’s spy stations aren’t just provocative — they’re operational. And they’re listening.
