China Insider China Insider | China-Cuba Relations, China’s Stake in the Strait of Hormuz, Paris Summit
Mar 17, 2026
Discussion of China’s long-term ties and intelligence cooperation with Cuba. Analysis of why Cuba matters strategically for Beijing. Examination of China’s exposure to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and limited response options. Preview of high-level Paris talks as a setup for possible trade negotiations between the two powers.
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China Turns Cuba Into A Frontline Intelligence Base
- China uses Cuba as a forward intelligence and surveillance platform to monitor U.S. military activity near Florida.
- Miles Yu notes China built SIGINT sites and modernized Cuba’s surveillance and telecom systems over two decades to target U.S. bases and command centers.
Cuba Serves China’s Ideological Theater
- The China–Cuba relationship is ideological and symbolic as well as strategic, used to vent anti‑American sentiment abroad.
- Miles Yu recalls Jiang Zemin delivering anti‑U.S. messages from Cuba and China awarding Castro a Confucius Prize as symbolic alignment.
Caught Shipments Showing China Armed Cuba
- China supplied Cuba with weapons, technology, and political cover after the Soviet collapse to keep Havana afloat.
- Miles Yu cites a 2015 seizure by Colombian customs of Chinese shipments containing rockets, shells, and detonators bound for Cuba.