China's new threat in our neighborhood

By Aussiegirl

Finally, an in depth piece articulating in great detail my long-standing concerns over the increasing presence of China in our hemisphere, which portends great dangers ahead if no one in the U.S. is paying much attention. China has been stealthily and openly working to establish a beachhead close to our shores which threatens us in the long run strategically and militarily in terms of compromising our intelligence and endangering regional stability. To put it bluntly, China's aggressive moves to insinuate itself into our neighborhood militarily, geopolitically, economically and strategically is a downright threat. You won't find a better summary and analysis of this situation than you will in today's
American thinker. What happened to the Monroe Doctrine? Read more:

Over forty years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, America once again finds itself in the crosshairs of a determined, Cuban-based adversary possessing the capability to inflict incalculable damage to U.S. democracy efforts and regional stability. That adversary is China.
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. . . But China's primary interest in Cuba is not related to commerce. Rather, the country is interested in fostering defense ties with the island and developing a state-of-the-art intelligence infrastructure to monitor U.S. activities in the region. Intelligence and spying, not Cuban cigars and sugar cane, motivates Beijing.

Since the late 1990's, independent Cuban journalists have reported an increasing number of Chinese diplomats, scientists, engineers, and military advisors arriving in Cuba. As a result, the Cuban Chinese community now makes up 1 percent of the island's total population of 11.3 million people.

In the face of an increasing Chinese presence only 90 miles off the Florida coast, the question remains: Will Fidel Castro become a conduit for Chinese expansionist aspirations in the region setting the stage for another confrontation with the U.S.? Given Cuba's dismal economic condition, Castro's deteriorating health, and a consensus within the Cuban government that China offers a formidable ally against American regional authority and control � the answer is increasingly yes.

. . . Both countries are working together to penetrate U.S. intelligence, collect classified information on U.S. ports and navel assets, and secure information on the latest U.S. science and technology. China and Cuba have increased their cooperation in the areas of cyber-terrorism, biological and chemical weapons research and development, and missile capabilities. In addition, China's use of the Bejucal base in Cuba, as well as facilities in Wajay and Santiago de Cuba, pose a growing threat to U.S. national security.


. . . It is no coincidence that China is positioning itself in the Gulf of Mexico, Panamanian Peninsula, Canada's British Columbia, and Venezuela. It is also no coincidence that the Chinese are spending billions of dollars to upgrade antiquated Soviet military facilities in Cuba. Not surprisingly, escalating Chinese economic involvement in Latin America since the 1990's has brought with it a resurgence of socialist behavior and empathy.

Recent actions by the Chinese in the Western Hemisphere are designed to secure state-sponsored outposts at strategic "choke" points that one day can be used by Beijing to place acute pressure on the U.S. and its allies. In this regard, recent comments made by Chinese sympathizers such as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez that a "new geopolitical map of alliances is emerging" support a troubling trend of inflammatory comments by Latin leaders. Otto Reich, a Cuban-born U.S. diplomat under the first President Bush stated in March,

. . . One final question for Washington. If an aggressive, Cold War-era Soviet Union made bilateral defense agreements with countries in Latin America; purchased large quantities of vital raw materials from Canada; obtained vast amounts of crude oil from Venezuela; and established ports in Cuba and Panama, would America have stood by and watched?