China space facilities may boost military capabilities, Congress warns

First on Fox: China is expanding a network of space facilities across it latin america This could enhance Beijing’s military surveillance and combat capabilities in the Western Hemisphere, according to a new report.

A new report from the House Committee on the Communist Party of China identifies at least 11 ground stations, radio telescopes and satellite sites associated with the People’s Republic of China in Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile and Brazil — facilities that the committee says may have dual-use military applications.

The report calls on the Trump administration to “stop the expansion.” Chinese space infrastructure in the region and “seek to ultimately defeat and eliminate” Chinese space capabilities in the hemisphere that threaten American interests.

The analysis relies on open source reports, satellite images and Chinese planning documents that elevate space cooperation as a pillar of Beijing’s relations with Latin America, according to the findings.

Lawmakers say China’s civil-military fusion strategy makes it difficult to separate academic or commercial space cooperation from potential military applications.

A Chinese-operated space facility in LaGuardia, Argentina. (House Select Committee on China)

“Beijing is using space infrastructure in Latin America to gather adversary intelligence and enhance the future combat capabilities of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army,” the report said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Liberation Army.

Lawmakers also raised concerns about oversight in certain locations, noting that in at least one case inspection rights in the host country appear to be limited. The report stresses that “host states reserve the right and responsibility to verify that facilities declared as civilian are not being used for military or intelligence purposes inconsistent with their national laws.”

One of the most closely watched sites is the Chinese-run deep space station in Neuquén province, Argentina, which was established under a 50-year lease agreement signed in 2015. Beijing has described the facility, which includes a 35-meter antenna used to track satellites and deep space missions, as a civilian research facility that supports lunar and space exploration programs.

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However, the House report notes that the station is operated by an entity linked to China’s satellite launch and tracking network, and raises concerns about transparency and oversight. In previous reports, questions have emerged about the extent to which Argentine officials have access to the site for inspection, sparking debate over foreign sovereignty and control over strategic infrastructure.

It was not immediately possible to contact the Argentine embassy for comment.

Chinese embassy spokesman Liu Bingyu rejected the report’s description, saying that Chinese space cooperation with Latin American countries focuses on development and peaceful use.

“In recent years, space cooperation between China and Latin America has achieved fruitful results,” Liu said, citing projects including remote sensing satellites, communications satellites and deep-space ground station networks.

Such efforts played “an important role in advancing scientific and technological development, enhancing regional connectivity, and improving people’s livelihoods,” he said.

Liu added that China and Latin American countries will continue to deepen cooperation in satellite technology, data applications and space infrastructure, including projects aimed at disaster prevention, agricultural monitoring and climate response.

“Latin America belongs to the people of Latin America,” Liu said. He added, “Drawing lines of spheres of influence and stoking geopolitical confrontation will not make any country safer, nor will it bring peace to the world.”

The photo shows a Chinese-operated space ground station in Santiago, Chile. (House Select Committee on China)

Lawmakers argue that facilities like the one in Neuquén, Argentina, illustrate the broader concern that civilian space cooperation could ostensibly be integrated into China’s civil-military integration framework, which would support the People’s Liberation Army’s global space architecture.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the details of the committee’s findings, but said it “continuously monitors developments that could impact the security environment, including space-related infrastructure and capabilities.”

A Defense Department spokesperson added that the department remains “attentive to activities that could impact the stability, transparency, or long-term security interests of the United States and our partners in the Western Hemisphere.”

A House committee raised concerns about Chinese aerospace engineering in Latin America. (Adriano Machado/Reuters: House Select Committee)

Likewise, the War Department’s 2025 annual report to Congress on Chinese military developments notes that Beijing “has the largest Space infrastructure footprint “Beyond mainland China in Latin America and the Caribbean,” it is estimated that expanding its regional space presence “almost certainly provides China with enhanced space domain surveillance capabilities, including against U.S. military space assets, throughout the hemisphere.”

The same report notes that China’s growing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities in space have “significantly increased its ability to monitor, track, and target U.S. and allied forces on the ground and in orbit.”

The House panel also points to Chile, where a proposed expansion of a Chinese space-related project has been put on hold after the Trump administration got involved, according to sources familiar with the project. Lawmakers see the pause as evidence that diplomatic pressure could influence host governments considering cooperation with Beijing.

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The report also urges federal agencies to review existing cooperation agreements in the region. The lawmakers recommend that NASA examine any partnerships with countries that host Chinese-operated space facilities to ensure compliance with the Wolf Amendment, a federal law that restricts bilateral space cooperation with China and Chinese-owned entities.

The committee argues that even multilateral arrangements could warrant scrutiny if they indirectly benefit infrastructure linked to China Congress calls To clarify that such agreements should not be structured in a way that circumvents existing prohibitions.

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