The United States has accused China of running three intelligence-gathering facilities in Cuba and significantly increasing its personnel on the island. According to a State Department report released on Monday, July 20th, 2026, China maintains a “persistent intelligence-gathering presence” in Cuba, which offers Beijing potential access to electronic communications, military installations, and maritime activity in the southeastern United States.

The report, titled “Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism,” states that China “actively runs” three of the 18 known signals-intelligence facilities on the island. It also notes that China and Russia have reportedly tripled their intelligence personnel at Cuban facilities since 2023. Some of these Chinese and Russian facilities are believed to be jointly operated with Cuba, citing prior reporting by The Wall Street Journal.

An unnamed senior US official cited in the report said Beijing and Moscow consider their Cuba-based sites among their “most critical foreign listening posts.” However, the report did not specify the exact locations of the three China-operated facilities nor provide new intelligence to substantiate its claims.

The United States portrays Havana as a strategic platform for Beijing to monitor American military activity, raising concerns about China’s growing influence in South America.

Sources