Biden official says China has had spy base in Cuba since 2019 as admin says report 'not accurate'

A Chinese spy base in Cuba has reportedly been operating in Cuba since at least 2019 as part of Beiijing's attempt to increase surveillance globally, a Biden administration official says, but White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says the information is "not accurate."

The U.S. intelligence community is aware that China is using Cuba to spy from and that the Chinese Communist Party has been trying to orchestrate larger intelligence operations across the world, according to an official who was not authorized to publicly comment on the matter and spoke to The Associated Press on Sunday on the condition of anonymity.

The Biden administration has amplified efforts to thwart China's espionage expansion and believes it has achieved some progress through diplomacy and other means, the official also said. 

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that China had agreed to pay Cuba billions to place a spy base there to conduct electronic eavesdropping from the island, which is located about 90 miles off the coast of Miami.

"I've seen that press report, it's not accurate," Kirby told MSNBC on Thursday. "What I can tell you is that we have been concerned since day one of this administration about China’s influence activities around the world; certainly in this hemisphere and in this region, we’re watching this very, very closely."

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.