Giménez Denounces Chinese Bases in Cuba: “They Are a Direct Threat to the American People”

MIAMI, United States — Cuban-American Congressman Carlos Giménez (R Florida) denounced on Tuesday that the Chinese regime is consolidating a network of intelligence infrastructure on Cuban territory, less than 150 kilometers (about 90 miles) from the U.S. coast, in collaboration with the Cuban regime.

During a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Maritime Security and Transportation, which he chairs, Giménez described this cooperation as “one of the most brazen intelligence operations ever attempted near the U.S. mainland.”

“The Chinese Communist Party is expanding its strategic partnership with the totalitarian communist regime in Cuba to build advanced surveillance infrastructure capable of targeting the United States,” the Republican lawmaker stated at the beginning of the session.

According to Giménez, who participated in the hearing to address what he called a “direct threat to the American people,” satellite images and open-source intelligence have revealed the presence of Chinese-funded facilities on the island. This would allow Beijing to potentially monitor U.S. military operations, space launches, sensitive communications, and commercial activity in the southeastern United States. “The possibility that these sites are monitoring U.S. operations is deeply concerning,” he said.

The congressman, who represents a district in South Florida and is the only member of Congress born in Cuba, warned that the collaboration between Havana and Beijing represents a “new and dangerous phase” of cooperation between authoritarian regimes—driven by the Cuban regime’s “economic desperation” and China’s “strategic ambition.”

“The Cuban government remains a state sponsor of terrorism, harbors fugitives from U.S. justice, and relentlessly represses its own people. Its growing dependence on authoritarian foreign powers like China only worsens the danger,” said Giménez.

During the hearing, he also recalled that he has requested the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to investigate possible Cuban intelligence networks operating on U.S. soil, and that he has proposed suspending travel and remittances to Cuba, except for humanitarian reasons. “We should not continue funding a regime that opens its doors to our greatest adversaries,” he stated.

Giménez emphasized that this hearing is only “the first step” in understanding the scope of the problem. “We need to be clear about the risks and act swiftly and in unity to respond,” he said. “It is our responsibility to ensure national security—not only in response to what we see, but also to what may be happening out of sight.”

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