Salazar, Kim Issue Statement on China Base

As reported earlier, Florida lawmakers have sounded the alarm over a potential Chinese military base in Cuba. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Republican lawmakers shared their disappointment. In a joint statement, Rep. Salazar and Rep Kim have called on Biden to “immediately” address the China base.

Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R), the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairwoman, and California Rep. Young Kim (R), the Indo-Pacific Subcommittee Chairwoman, released a joint statement this week, slamming the base and the Biden administration for not addressing the concern.

In the statement, Reps. Salazar and Kim detailed that “The Chinese Communist Party is using Cuba to spy on the United States and actively train the People’s Liberation Army just 90 miles away from our shores,” warning that “this development cannot be ignored and must be immediately addressed by the Biden Administration.”

“The Biden Administration ordered a delay in ‘competitive actions’ against the People’s Republic of China to resume dialogue with the CCP,” Salazar and Kim said, accusing Biden of “appeasement and ceding leverage to adversaries.” This, they argue, “does nothing to protect our national security or project U.S. global strength.”

Explaining that “the Chinese Communist Party is clear-eyed on its goal to surpass the United States as the world’s top economic and military superpower,” Salazar and Kim noted that the developments in Cuba only show “the danger the Cuban communist regime poses to the United States.”

Given that “Cuba is housing troops for overseas adversaries just like at the height of the Cold War,” the lawmakers concluded by calling on the National Security Council, State Department, and the Intelligence Community to share the information they have regarding the training facility.

President Biden has not responded to the reports of the base being built in Cuba, and lawmakers continue to voice their frustration.