China plans to establish military base in Cuba, indicating it may intend to permanently station troops off US coast: Report

China is reportedly in talks with Cuba to establish a new military training base on the island, indicating that the CCP may be planning to permanently station troops 100 miles away from the United States coast, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

According to several current and former U.S. officials who spoke with the WSJ, China is currently negotiating with Cuba about building a joint military training facility on the country's northern coast. The talks are reportedly "at an advanced stage but not concluded," the outlet wrote.

Two sources told the outlet that the military facility is part of the CCP's "Project 141," a People's Liberation Army program to establish a global network of military bases.

The report comes just one day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Beijing to meet with CCP officials and Chinese President Xi Jinping to "stabilize" relations between the U.S. and China.

Despite stating his two-day visit was a "positive step," Blinken failed to secure an agreement with China to continue military-to-military communications with the United States. However, during his visit, Blinken did reaffirm the Biden administration's backing of the "One China" policy, denouncing support for Taiwan's independence.

Earlier this month, the WSJ released a report alleging that China and Cuba had recently reached an agreement to build a new spy facility on the island to gather electronic communication intelligence on the nearby U.S. military bases.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby immediately denied the report's accuracy.

"We've seen the report. It's not accurate," Kirby claimed.

Cuba's Embassy in Washington, D.C., told the WSJ that the report was "totally mendacious and unfounded."

A couple of days later, the Biden administration admitted that the CCP has been operating eavesdropping facilities in Cuba since at least 2019.

U.S. officials told the WSJ that China and Cuba have been operating four spy stations on the island.

The outlet reported that the White House declined to comment on the latest report alleging that China has plans to build a new military training facility in Cuba. However, Blinken addressed the rumors Tuesday during a press conference in London.

Blinken explained that he told Chinese officials "that we would have deep concerns about PRC intelligence or military activities 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," Blinken stated.

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