Florida Senate - 2024 SM By Senator Avila 39-00425-24 2024318__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Senate Memorial A memorial to the United States Secretary of State urging the secretary to condemn the emerging partnership between the Chinese and Cuban Governments and the establishment of Chinese espionage and military capabilities in Cuba. 6

WHEREAS, relations between Cuba and the United States of America have a turbulent past, from the Spanish-American War to Fidel Castro’s rise to power and the Cold War and its aftermath, 10 and

WHEREAS, relations between China and the United States have reached a crossroads, as the United States has stepped up efforts to thwart the expansion of Chinese intelligence-14 gathering operations, and

WHEREAS, on February 4, 2023, the United States military successfully shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina, and

WHEREAS, the United States military believes that the balloon was used to intercept electronic signals and to monitor sensitive military sites, and

WHEREAS, on June 8, 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that China and Cuba have reached an agreement, in principle, to build an electronic eavesdropping station in Cuba which would result in Cuba’s receipt of billions of dollars from China, 25 although this report has been refuted by the White House, the Cuban Government, and the Chinese Government, and

WHEREAS, several days later, an unnamed administration official confirmed that, since 2019, China has been operating a Florida Senate - 2024 SM 318 39-00425-24 2024318__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. spy base in Cuba as part of a global effort to upgrade its intelligence-gathering capabilities, and

WHEREAS, Cuba has a history of opening its doors to nations that are adversarial to the United States in order to undermine our country’s interests, and

WHEREAS, China’s willingness to embrace and partner with the Cuban Government, which has historically engaged in espionage against the United States, should be a cause for concern, and

WHEREAS, as global tensions have increased, the Chinese Government has sought to build up its military and enhance its technological capability to collect and analyze signals intelligence, and

WHEREAS, Dr. Evan Ellis, a Latin American Studies research professor at the United States Army War College, has stated that the establishment of a spy base “accelerates the level of tactical and operational coordination between China and Cuba that can be used in times of war,” and

WHEREAS, efforts to foster a partnership between China and Cuba should be condemned in light of Cuba’s history of antagonistic behavior toward the United States as well as the Chinese Government’s willingness to embrace partners that oppose democracy,

NOW, THEREFORE, 52

Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 54 That the United States Secretary of State is urged to condemn the Chinese Government for establishing a spy base in Cuba. 58 Florida Senate - 2024 SM 318 39-00425-24 2024318__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Secretary of State is urged to condemn the Chinese Government for taking increasingly aggressive steps to collect sensitive information regarding the United States Government and its citizens. 62 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Secretary of State is urged to condemn the Chinese Government for establishing a potential base for Chinese troops a mere miles from the United States, a hostile action that threatens our national security. 67 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State dispatch copies of this memorial to the President of the United States, 69 the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the United States Secretary of State, and each member of the Florida delegation to the United States Congress. 73