China unleashes Global Times to rebuke Wall Street Journal report on alleged Cuban eavesdropping stations

The Global Times challenges the veracity of claims made by the Wall Street Journal linking China's expansion in Cuba to electronic espionage, citing inconsistencies and political motivations

The Chinese government mouthpiece, The Global Times , has responded strongly to an exclusive piece published by the Wall Street Journal on July 2. The article claimed that a study from the Washington-based think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), reveals satellite images indicating the expansion of Cuba’s electronic eavesdropping stations, purportedly connected to China. This includes new construction at a previously undisclosed site approximately 70 miles from the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay. According to The Global Times , this claim has been refuted by the Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister, the spokespersons of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Chinese Embassy in the US. In June 2023, the Wall Street Journal had reported, citing “US officials,” that China and Cuba had reached a “secret agreement” for China to establish an electronic eavesdropping facility in Cuba. This report was later debunked by both the White House and Cuban authorities. The Global Times said that observers are left questioning whether the Wall Street Journal, a newspaper with over a century of history, maintains basic editorial and fact-checking procedures. The July 2 report, written by the same journalist as last year’s piece, seems to overlook the glaring inconsistencies and contradictions between the two articles, the Chinese newspaper said. “The concern about the stations, former officials and analysts say, is that China is using Cuba’s geographical proximity to the southeastern U.S. to scoop up sensitive electronic communications from American military bases, space-launch facilities, and military and commercial shipping,” the WSJ said in its latest piece. “Authors of the CSIS report, after analysing years’ worth of satellite imagery, found that Cuba has significantly upgraded and expanded its electronic spying facilities in recent years and pinpointed four sites—at Bejucal, El Salao, Wajay and Calabazar,” the Wall Street Journal said in its latest report. However, this has definitely not amused China. “Moreover, the CSIS report’s author claimed to have identified the spying facilities in Cuba ‘after analysing years’ worth of satellite imagery.’ However, one of the locations, referred to as ‘El Salao,’ according to the report’s coordinates, actually points to the landmark building National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Charity del Cobre in the village of El Cobre—which is a church,” The Global Times responded to the Wall Street Journal report without mincing any words. The Global Times reported that the Wall Street Journal claimed Cuba’s “eavesdropping stations” are “believed” to be linked to China without providing a clear explanation for this assertion. The CSIS attributed this belief to China and Cuba’s cooperation in space technology, which The Global Times argued is a clear case of concocting charges without substantial evidence. According to The Global Times , while the facts remain unclear, the conclusions explicitly target China. The Global Times also noted that the CSIS report was produced jointly by Hidden Reach and the Americas programme and that the former uses so-called satellite imagery and open-source information to long-term vilify China, accusing it of using civilian research vessels for intelligence gathering and expanding polar expeditions. The Global Times suggested that this effort is aimed at leveraging the US’ global surveillance system to propagate the “China threat theory.” On July 2, the Wall Street Journal reported that this development arises amid escalating concerns about Great Power competition in the Caribbean and Latin America, regions where Washington has long sought to prevent rivals from gaining military and economic advantages. In its annual threat assessment released in February, the US intelligence community publicly acknowledged for the first time that China is pursuing military facilities in Cuba, though it did not provide specific details. The Global Times argued that the Wall Street Journal , CSIS and their backers are not seeking objectivity and fairness, but are instead creating a “dirty bomb” of public opinion to align with Washington’s agenda to suppress China and Cuba. The Global Times pointed out that these reports not only have significant factual issues but also a skewed value system. For instance, they claim that the so-called eavesdropping station is near the US Guantánamo Bay naval base. The Global Times countered that the Guantánamo Bay naval base itself is a century-old symbol of illegal US interference in Cuba and that the US military has used it as an intelligence station to monitor Latin American countries. Furthermore, The Global Times highlighted that the US has 750 military bases in over 80 countries and regions, including dozens in Latin America and the Caribbean. The US regularly conducts close-in reconnaissance against China in the South China Sea, and in April, it even deployed the Mid-Range Capability ground-based missile system on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. According to The Global Times , it is evident who is engaging in double standards and who is posing threats to other countries and the world.