Long-standing space collaboration between China and Latin America is under increasing pressure from the United States, as Washington seeks to curb Beijing’s influence in the region.
Analysts expect the trend to continue, but it is unlikely that Latin-American countries will abandon the China partnership if the US cannot provide competing alternatives.
The latest controversy involves the potential cancellation of an US$80 million astronomical observatory project between China’s National Astronomical Observatory and a Chilean university.
It was reported last month that Chilean President Gabriel Boric had decided to cancel the project following concerns conveyed to Santiago by the Biden administration. The Chilean foreign ministry was reviewing the matter, the reports said.
Observers warn that the Trump White House is likely to intensify scrutiny of Sino-Latin American space cooperation and adopt a more assertive approach.
They expect the United States to continue seeking to block such cooperation, forcing Latin American governments into an increasingly difficult balancing act between the two superpowers.
Francisco Urdinez, associate professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile’s Political Science Institute, said that Latin American countries were increasingly facing US pressure over scientific partnerships with China amid the intensifying big power rivalry.
This rivalry, he noted, undoubtedly “extends into scientific domains that have both civilian and potential military applications”.
Countries experiencing “economic displacement” as China replaced the US as the dominant economic partner were “more likely to view China favourably as a problem-solver” for regional issues, Urdinez said.
“This creates complex trade-offs for Latin American nations balancing development needs against geopolitical considerations.”
China’s rapid progress and significant investment in space technology and the satellite sector have made it a major force in the field and a formidable challenger to the US.
According to Li Min, a research fellow at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of International Relations, US pressure on space cooperation with China is likely to grow. “We can expect such incidents to occur with increasing frequency,” she said.
Henry Ziemer, associate fellow with the Americas Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said Washington would become “even more assertive” in trying to displace China in the region, citing a commercial deal involving two ports in the Panama Canal now at the centre of the US-China geopolitical rivalry.
“In the near future, I envision more confrontations as Latin American governments seek to walk an increasingly narrow tightrope between the United States and China,” Ziemer said.
But for countries in the region, identifying partners for space cooperation was not viewed as a binary choice between Beijing and Washington, he added.
Since the 1980s, when Beijing’s inaugural space collaboration in Latin America gave rise to the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite Programme, China has steadily emerged as a long-standing regional partner, providing both access to and development of space technology for Latin American nations.
Analysts suggest that this collaboration is driven by shared development goals, China’s provision of technological expertise, and Latin America’s strategically important location.
Ziemer said Latin American countries looked at space cooperation with China “as an area where they can leverage strategic geography and local insight in exchange for technology transfer and economic benefits through investments and access to space-based infrastructure”.
Cui Shoujun, an international relations professor at Renmin University of China, said that Chinese capabilities had helped to boost socio-economic development through such partnerships.
This included deploying satellite technology for monitoring natural resources and agricultural activities in partner nations, as well as improving their disaster early warning systems, he said.
“A significant element of China’s strategy for development in the space sector involves partnering with nations in the Global South, including those in Latin America,” Cui added.
Brazil, Chile and Venezuela are among Latin American nations leading the way in cooperation with China, which offers satellite launching services, satellite components and platforms that help to improve telecommunication and geospatial data collection in partner countries.
In 2012 and 2017, China helped Venezuela to develop and launch its first two remote sensing satellites, which were placed into low-Earth orbit for surveying, planning, agriculture and disaster relief purposes.
In 2013, a Chinese Long March 3B rocket placed Bolivia’s first telecommunications satellite into geostationary transfer orbit. All three were launched from Chinese space centres.
In April last year, China hosted the first China-Latin America and Caribbean States Space Cooperation Forum in the city of Wuhan, where all sides agreed to support the application of satellite communications, navigation and Earth observation technologies.
However, the growing presence of Chinese technology and infrastructure in Latin America has heightened Washington’s concerns about their potential dual-use applications.
Space infrastructure, particularly satellite ground stations, can be relatively easily redirected from peacetime research and commercial applications to military purposes in times of war, Ziemer said.
“These stations enable satellite telemetry tracking and control, a key capability for targeting anti-satellite weaponry, as well as potentially offering guidance to weapons like hypersonic missiles in-flight.”
Ground stations play a pivotal role in monitoring the myriad satellites and other objects orbiting Earth, supporting a country’s space situational awareness capabilities.
According to a CSIS report, China has set up 11 ground stations in Latin America, primarily for its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and space tracking.
These stations boost China’s global satellite coverage – particularly over the southern hemisphere – which is crucial for navigation, communication, and intelligence gathering.
“Ground stations can be used to intercept satellite communications from rival countries, presenting an intelligence vulnerability as well,” Ziemer added.
Another high-profile Chinese project that has prompted questions is a deep space observation station installed in the Argentine province of Neuquén.
The Espacio Lejano ground station, launched in 2015, is managed by the China Satellite Launch and Tracking Control General (CLTC).
The agreement with Beijing states that Argentina “shall not interfere [in] or interrupt” the activities conducted at the station. This has fuelled concerns that the lack of effective Argentine oversight could allow China to circumvent the terms relating to exclusively civilian use.
China has repeatedly denied such accusations, dismissing the military espionage claims as “absurd”.
Cui also rejected the claims, saying that data collected by China had always been shared with the Argentine side under the deal. “The continuation of such a project despite US pressure indicates that both sides have reached a consensus and are willing to advance it,” he added.
According to Ziemer at the CSIS, China coordinates its space cooperation through centralised planning, while US strategy remains “bifurcated” between civilian and military spheres.
Nasa’s Artemis Accords, which set out frameworks for space exploration, have attracted several Latin American signatories including Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Meanwhile, the US Space Force maintains separate space situational awareness partnerships in the region.
This fragmented approach puts Washington at a strategic disadvantage, Ziemer said, suggesting that the US adopt a “more whole-of-government approach” to space cooperation with the region.
“Ideally, Nasa and the Space Force would be able to work more seamlessly together to respond to projects like this latest China-Chile initiative, which itself blurs the lines between civilian and military,” he said.
According to Cui, the US prioritises military security and regulation, while China emphasises practical areas like agriculture and disaster relief, which have won greater regional favour.
He argued that the US was unlikely to replace China as Latin America’s preferred space partner, as American restrictions – such as mandating satellite compatibility with US standards – often limited local technological autonomy.
China’s approach, in contrast, was centred on technology transfer and local integration and seen as more open and equitable, Cui said.
Urdinez said the controversies around Espacio Lejano “directly connect to broader US anxieties about diminishing influence in a region it traditionally dominated”.
However, US pressure on space cooperation with China may risk a backlash from Latin American countries.
“To counter China’s influence, the US would need to offer competitive alternatives in scientific investment and technology transfer, rather than just applying pressure,” Urdinez said.
“Currently, the US approach risks reinforcing perceptions that it’s focused on containment rather than constructive engagement.”
Cui was of the same opinion, and said countries would prefer to cooperate with China if it offered public goods and services that the US did not.
The US space industry, particularly the private sector, invests little in South America due to its profit-driven nature, according to Cui.
“In contrast, China’s substantial involvement in Latin America is bolstered by its space-related state-owned enterprises. These entities are strategically aligned with the comprehensive national and diplomatic policies set forth by the Chinese government.”
Li in Shanghai noted that Latin American governments had their own interests and aimed to hold their own amid the US-China rivalry.
“Washington’s overt interference is likely to provoke overt or subtle resistance among regional nations, ultimately driving them to collaborate more closely with China,” she said.
Stronger cooperation between the Chinese and Chilean scientific sectors would remain an overarching trend, Li said.
Beijing has also focused on creating multilateral levels of space cooperation programmes.
In 2022, it helped to create the Brics Joint Committee on Space cooperation, of which Brazil is a member. Collaboration involves the introduction of a satellite constellation dedicated to detection purposes that includes data-sharing and data application.
The Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organisation set up in Beijing in 2008 has Peru as a member state and Mexico as an observer. The cooperative scheme offers free data sharing among its members, creation of space object observations, and disaster monitoring.
According to Urdinez, such multilateral efforts help China to “establish its technological presence in developing countries while offering these countries access to space technology outside traditional Western-dominated institutions”.
Cui said that more transparency and openness were key for cooperation projects to draw less criticism and for China and Latin American countries to address any concerns.
The US and China have their respective strengths in space exploration, and Beijing’s stance has always been to welcome both nations to collaborate in Latin America to bring tangible benefits to all sides, according to Jiang Shixue, vice-president of the China Society of Emerging Economies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
“However, Washington, which has consistently sought to contain China’s technological advancement, may not agree to enhance trilateral cooperation,” he said.
“The ‘Wolf Amendment’ remains in effect, making the likelihood of such trilateral collaboration almost zero. This is indeed pathetic,” Jiang added, referring to the 2011 US legislation that restricts Nasa’s ability to engage in bilateral cooperation with China.
Urdinez suggested that Latin American nations prioritise diverse partnerships over exclusive alliances, and use the US-China competition to maximise their own scientific development.
In the long run, the situation may encourage greater intraregional cooperation, CSIS’s Ziemer said.
“Progress will likely be slower and more contingent, but could result in a Latin American space sector that is more secure for the countries involved and better insulated from geopolitical contention.”
