Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning

In response to the recent release by the US Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) regarding "China's Intelligence Footprint in Cuba: New Evidence and Implications for US Security,mk" Chinese FM spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday that she has taken note of the situation. As Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío pointed out, the claims made by the US think tank regarding so-called Chinese military bases in Cuba are purely baseless. 

The US so-called report claimed that there are four sites within Cuba that are most likely to be supporting China's efforts to collect intelligence on the US and its neighbors, and suggested that the US and its regional partners should "carefully monitor China's growing role in Cuba," according to the website of CSIS.

Mao emphasized that the cooperation between China and Cuba is legitimate and transparent, not aimed at any third party, and that they absolutely do not accept or allow any malicious slander or defamation from third parties.

Mao noted that it is well known that US intelligence agencies have a notorious record in Latin America and the Caribbean. The US illegally occupies Guantanamo as a military base and has imposed a blockade and sanctions on Cuba for over 60 years, bringing severe suffering to the Cuban people. China once again urges the US to heed the calls for justice from the international community, immediately lift the blockade and sanctions against Cuba, remove Cuba from the so-called list of state sponsors of terrorism, and stop creating obstacles to Cuba's economic and social development.

Global Times