The US has denied reports that Cuba and China made a deal to construct an electronic surveillance facility on the island, which is home to US military bases. The Wall Street Journal initially announced the deal, wherein China would pay billions of dollars for the project. A Pentagon spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, stated that the US is not aware of China and Cuba’s agreement on building any spy stations separately, but it will continue to monitor their relations. Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio dismissed the report as U.S. officials’ fabrication, first and foremost meant to justify the economic blockade and destabilization of Cuba. Furthermore, US hostility towards Cuba and the extreme and cruel measures that harm and punish its citizens cannot be justified, according to De Cossio. The US has eased some Cuba travel restrictions, but it still remains “not cooperating fully” in its fight against terrorism. US officials raised an alarm that the deal could allow China’s intelligence services to garner electronic communications from southeastern America.