@sinophilia will that have any strategic gain? its a waste of resources, the Chinese is using an asymmetric warfare. exploits your opponent weakness, Latin America is the US backyard any Chinese military activity is a losing proposition just like the American are doing in the SCS. What the Chinese should do is do the opposite of what the American are doing. The Chinese should promote its PEACEFUL RISE development, it should now openly export this policy as an alternative to the US model, its better using your investment for goodwill rather than using it (buying/making arms) on bullying countries.
China promoting it's peaceful rise has resulted in almost every White-majority nation threatening to overthrow the Chinese government and promote separatist movements. It is not working. At some point you have to show people you are not a pussy to get them to respect you.
Base-building in Cuba and Venezuela would be to show the US that it can bomb American cities and infrastructure and erase their military production capability if it so desires. They could either choose to pull back from Korea and Japan or have to deal with this thorn in their side forever. China THEN could promote its peaceful rise through strength by telling the World it is more than happy to remove such bases if the US could do the same. What the hell are they going to say? As long as Cuba and Venezuela are willing to host them (and they damn well would be fucking ecstatic to have China there) then it's the EXACT same thing America is doing - only difference is they started it and China will finish it.
Just ALLOWING American planes to fly within a few miles of Chinese cities is pathetic. Chinese bases in Cuba would allow combat aircraft to fly sorties <15 miles from The White House. Imagine that!! Maybe then they'll think twice about stationing their forces literally right next door.