For the last 64 years, the Cuban dictatorship has been one of the main threats to democracy in Latin America and to the security of the U.S.

Since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, following the Russian spy base established in Lourdes, the Bejucal facility, and finally with the 2019 chapter involving Chinese espionage, Havana’s regime has continued to open its doors to America’s most dangerous geopolitical enemies.

In 1960, Cuba became the first country in Latin America to establish diplomatic relations with communist China. Since then, political, military, and economic exchanges have been increasing, particularly since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Last November, China approved $100 million to rescue Cuba from its self-inflicted economic collapse. The Asian superpower has reiterated its interest in strengthening this historical and strategic relationship.

Although Havana and Beijing have maintained a spy base since 2019, intelligence cooperation between the two countries has continued above and beyond that. According to the Wall Street Journal, the two regimes are negotiating the establishment of a joint military training base on the island, just 100 miles away from the Florida coast.

The U.S. has also reported the activities of the Chinese telecommunications giants Huawei and ZTE in the same area where the spy base is supposed to be located.

This century, the Castro dictatorship and its progeny have helped forge and maintain the current dictatorships of Venezuela and Nicaragua, both politically and militarily. Cuban advisers are present in these two countries to pull the strings, offering intelligence support and training to their police and armies.

Cuba also maintains a close political and ideological relationship with leftist presidents in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. Brazil and Mexico have supported the Cuban medical brigades, considered a model of modern slavery. According to the human rights organization Prisoners Defenders, the regime keeps 94 percent of the salaries received by 50,000 doctors in different parts of the world.

Since the early days of the Cuban revolution and the Missile Crisis, Russia has been the main military partner of Cuba’s regime. Last week, Russian Defense Minister Serguei Shoigu met with his Cuban counterpart Alvaro Lopez Miera.

After the abortive rebellion by Wagner mercenaries in Russia, Putin has reportedly looked to Cuba for more soldiers to continue his war of aggression against Ukraine. According to Prisoners Defenders, Russia and Cuba have reached an agreement that would send Cuban soldiers to Ukraine, paying each of them $2,000 per month. But the island’s dictatorship would naturally keep between 75 percent and 95 percent of their income since this is how dictatorships work.

While China advances its commercial relationships in Latin America, seizing key industries such as lithium, copper and telecommunications, Cuba has an extensive political and ideological network throughout Latin America and even in the U.S. through the Sao Paulo Forum and the so-called solidarity networks.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) are calling on the Biden administration to give a classified briefing regarding the reported Chinese spy facility in Cuba.

Given the political, economic and security threat posed by Cuba and China, a comprehensive response is urgently needed. Partnerships with other democratic nations in Latin America should be strengthened, both in the field of security and in commercial matters.

It would be a very big mistake to neglect such hemispheric threats or underestimate the dangerous strategies of such regimes as China, Cuba and Russia.

Arturo McFields Yescas is a former Nicaraguan ambassador to the Organization of American States, an exiled journalist, and a former member of the Peace Corps of Norway.