China is expanding a network of space facilities across Latin America, Fox News Digital reports. Lawmakers warn that the growing footprint could strengthen Beijing’s military surveillance and warfighting capabilities in the Western Hemisphere.
A new analysis from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party identified at least 11 People’s Republic of China-linked ground stations, radio telescopes and satellite ranging sites. The facilities are located in Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile and Brazil.
According to the report, these installations may have dual-use military applications.
The panel is urging the Trump administration to “halt the expansion” of Chinese space infrastructure in the region. Lawmakers also said the U.S. should “ultimately seek to roll back and eliminate” Chinese space capabilities in the hemisphere that threaten American interests.
The findings rely on open-source reporting, satellite imagery and Chinese planning documents. Lawmakers argue that China’s military-civil fusion strategy makes it difficult to separate civilian space projects from military objectives.
“Beijing uses space infrastructure in Latin America to collect adversary intelligence and strengthen the PLA’s future warfighting capabilities,” the report states, referring to the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Liberation Army.
One of the most closely watched sites is a Chinese-operated deep space station in Argentina’s Neuquén province. The facility was established under a 50-year lease agreement signed in 2015.
The station includes a 35-meter antenna used for satellite tracking and deep space missions. Beijing has described it as a civilian research installation that supports lunar and space exploration programs.
However, the House report notes the station is operated by an entity linked to China’s satellite launch and tracking network. Lawmakers raised concerns about transparency and oversight. They also questioned whether Argentine officials have full inspection access to the site.
The report stresses that “host nations retain both the right and responsibility to verify that facilities advertised as civilian are not being used for military or intelligence purposes inconsistent with their national laws.”
The Argentine embassy could not immediately be reached for comment.
Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu rejected the report’s claims. He said China’s space cooperation with Latin America focuses on development and peaceful use.
“In recent years, China–Latin America space cooperation has yielded fruitful results,” Liu said. He cited projects involving remote sensing satellites, communications satellites and deep-space ground station networks.
He added that such projects have played “an important role in advancing scientific and technological development, strengthening regional connectivity, and improving people’s livelihoods.”
Liu also pushed back against U.S. concerns. “Latin America belongs to the people of Latin America,” he said. “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 Pentagon declined to comment directly on the committee’s findings. However, a Defense Department spokesperson said it “continuously monitors developments that could affect the security environment, including space-related infrastructure and capabilities.”
The spokesperson added that the department remains “attentive to activities that could impact stability, transparency, or the long-term security interests of the United States and our partners in the Western Hemisphere.”
The Department of War’s 2025 annual report to Congress also raised alarms. The report states that Beijing “has the largest space infrastructure footprint outside of mainland China in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
It further assessed that expanding its regional presence “almost certainly provides China with enhanced space domain surveillance capabilities, including against U.S. military space assets, throughout the hemisphere.”
Lawmakers pointed to Chile as an example of how U.S. engagement can make a difference. A proposed expansion of a Chinese space-related project there was put on hold after engagement from the Trump administration, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The House panel is now calling on federal agencies to review existing cooperation agreements in the region. Lawmakers recommend that NASA examine partnerships with countries hosting Chinese-operated facilities to ensure compliance with the Wolf Amendment, which restricts bilateral space cooperation with China.
The panel also urged Congress to make clear that multilateral agreements should not be structured in ways that sidestep existing prohibitions.
For many in Washington, the issue goes beyond satellites and research stations. It is about whether America will allow a strategic rival to build a permanent space and surveillance footprint in what has long been considered America’s backyard.