US officials call reports of China plan to build a spy facility in Cuba ‘not accurate’

The White House and Pentagon called media reports on Thursday of Chinese plans to build a spy facility in Cuba inaccurate, capping off a day in which new concerns about national security threats emanating from Beijing sparked calls for a harder line against the country.

Beijing was said to have offered Havana cash payments on the order of “several billion” US dollars to be able to build the facility, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the “secret” agreement citing US officials familiar with the plan.