BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th June, 2023) Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Tuesday that she was not aware of any Chinese-Cuban plans to open a military training center in Cuba, as speculated in news media.
Earlier in the day, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources, that Beijing and Havana were negotiating the establishment of a joint military training center in Cuba. The possible deployment of the Chinese military near the United States causes concerns in Washington, the newspaper said.
"I am not familiar with the issue you are talking about. We hope that the relevant parties will focus their energy on things that promote mutual trust and the peaceful and stable development of the region," Mao told a briefing.
Earlier in June, US media reported that China had allegedly been using a military base in Cuba to gather intelligence on Washington since 2019. The Cuban Foreign Ministry later denied media reports about an agreement with China to create a military base to spy on the US. Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council John Kirby said the US was aware of reports of an alleged agreement between China and Cuba, but rejected the reports as inaccurate.
