Florida 2024 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0351 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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9	9		Page 1 of 3
10	10		F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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14	14		House Memorial 1
15	15		A memorial to the United States Secretary of State 2
16	16		urging the secretary to condemn the emerging 3
17	17		partnership between the Chinese and Cuban Governments 4
18	18		and the establishment of Chinese espionage and 5
19	19		military capabilities in Cuba. 6
20	20		7
21	21		WHEREAS, relations between Cuba and the United States of 8
22	22		America have a turbulent past, from the Spanish -American War to 9
23	23		Fidel Castro's rise to power and the Cold War and its after math, 10
24	24		and 11
25	25		WHEREAS, relations between China and the United States have 12
26	26		reached a crossroads, as the United States has stepped up 13
27	27		efforts to thwart the expansion of Chinese intelligence -14
28	28		gathering operations, and 15
29	29		WHEREAS, on February 4, 2023, the United Sta tes military 16
30	30		successfully shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of 17
31	31		South Carolina, and 18
32	32		WHEREAS, the United States military believes that the 19
33	33		balloon was used to intercept electronic signals and to monitor 20
34	34		sensitive military sites, and 21
35	35		WHEREAS, on June 8, 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported 22
36	36		that China and Cuba have reached an agreement, in principle, to 23
37	37		build an electronic eavesdropping station in Cuba which would 24
38	38		result in Cuba's receipt of billions of dollars from China, 25
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51	51		although this report h as been refuted by the White House, the 26
52	52		Cuban Government, and the Chinese Government, and 27
53	53		WHEREAS, several days later, an unnamed administration 28
54	54		official confirmed that, since 2019, China has been operating a 29
55	55		spy base in Cuba as part of a global effort to upgrade its 30
56	56		intelligence-gathering capabilities, and 31
57	57		WHEREAS, Cuba has a history of opening its doors to nations 32
58	58		that are adversarial to the United States in order to undermine 33
59	59		our country's interests, and 34
60	60		WHEREAS, China's willingness to embrace and par tner with 35
61	61		the Cuban Government, which has historically engaged in 36
62	62		espionage against the United States, should be a cause for 37
63	63		concern, and 38
64	64		WHEREAS, as global tensions have increased, the Chinese 39
65	65		Government has sought to build up its military and enhance it s 40
66	66		technological capability to collect and analyze signals 41
67	67		intelligence, and 42
68	68		WHEREAS, Dr. Evan Ellis, a Latin American Studies research 43
69	69		professor at the United States Army War College, has stated that 44
70	70		the establishment of a spy base "accelerates the level of 45
71	71		tactical and operational coordination between China and Cuba 46
72	72		that can be used in times of war," and 47
73	73		WHEREAS, efforts to foster a partnership between China and 48
74	74		Cuba should be condemned in light of Cuba's history of 49
75	75		antagonistic behavior toward the Unite d States as well as the 50
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88	88		Chinese Government's willingness to embrace partners that oppose 51
89	89		democracy, NOW, THEREFORE, 52
90	90		53
91	91		Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 54
92	92		55
93	93		That the United States Secretary of State is urged to 56
94	94		condemn the Chinese Government for establishing a spy base in 57
95	95		Cuba. 58
96	96		BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Secretary of 59
97	97		State is urged to condemn the Chinese Government for taking 60
98	98		increasingly aggressive steps to collect sensitive information 61
99	99		regarding the United Stat es Government and its citizens. 62
100	100		BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Secretary of 63
101	101		State is urged to condemn the Chinese Government for 64
102	102		establishing a potential base for Chinese troops a mere 90 miles 65
103	103		from the United States, a hostile action that threatens our 66
104	104		national security. 67
105	105		BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State dispatch 68
106	106		copies of this memorial to the President of the United States, 69
107	107		the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 70
108	108		United States House of Representative s, the United States 71
109	109		Secretary of State, and each member of the Florida delegation to 72
110	110		the United States Congress. 73