US deeply concerned about China, Cuba military interaction

Blinken

TEHRAN, (MNA) – Expressing Washington's concern over China's alleged military activities in Cuba, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US is going to be monitoring it very closely.

The United States “would have deep concerns” about China increasing its intelligence or military activities in Cuba, the top US diplomat told reporters during a press conference in London on Tuesday, CNN reported.

Blinken was asked about a Wall Street Journal report published Tuesday that Beijing and Havana are discussing establishing a joint military training facility in Cuba.

“This is something we’re going to be monitoring very, very closely and we’ve been very clear about that. And we will protect our homeland, we will protect our interests,” he said.

“Since the start of this administration, we have engaged a number of countries where we’ve seen consideration of having some kind of presence from China, intelligence, military, and we’ve engaged in a number of diplomatic efforts in that regard,” he said. “And I think they’ve had some success in slowing down these efforts.”

Blinken's remarks came in reaction to a report by Wall Street Journal which claimed that China and Cuba are discussing building a joint military training facility on the island.

Earlier on Tuesday, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs said that the report about the presence of a Chinese spy base in Cuba is false.

On the same day, Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning affirmed that her country is not aware of an alleged negotiation between Beijing and Havana for the installation of a military facility for joint training.

"I don't know the matter you are talking about. We hope that the relevant parties will focus their energy on things that benefit mutual trust-building," she said during a press conference at which she was addressing the prospects for China-US relations.