China’s Military-Run Space Station in Argentina is a ‘Black Box’ – Reuters

By Cassandra Garrison

LAS LAJAS, Argentina – When China established a military-managed space station in Argentina’s Patagonian region, it pledged to include a visitor center to clarify the purpose of its expansive 16-story antenna. That center has now been constructed, but access is limited to those with prior appointments and sits behind an 8-foot barbed wire fence surrounding the entire facility.

The compound, cloaked in secrecy, has raised alarm among local residents, fueling conspiracy theories and eliciting concerns from U.S. officials regarding its true intentions, as revealed in interviews with numerous residents, current and former Argentine government officials, and experts in international law, satellite operations, and astronomy.

China claims the station is intended for peaceful space observation and exploration and has stated that it significantly contributed to the nation’s mission to land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon earlier this year.

However, this remote 200-hectare site operates with minimal oversight from Argentine authorities, according to extensive government documents obtained and analyzed by experts. Susana Malcorra, who served as foreign minister under President Mauricio Macri, commented that Argentina lacks physical control over the station’s operations. In 2016, she modified the agreement concerning the station to ensure it was designated for civilian use only.

While the agreement requires China to inform Argentina about activities at the station, it lacks any enforcement mechanisms to verify that it is not being utilized for military objectives, as noted by international legal experts.

"It really doesn’t matter what it says in the contract or in the agreement," said Juan Uriburu, an Argentine lawyer involved in significant Argentina-China joint ventures. "How do you ensure compliance with the rules?"

Uriburu emphasized the peculiarity of the Argentine government not addressing the military oversight issue more rigorously, especially given that one involved party reports directly to the Chinese military.

China’s space program operates under the aegis of its military, and the Patagonian station is overseen by the China Satellite Launch and Tracking Control General, an arm of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Beijing insists its space initiatives are for peaceful purposes, and its foreign ministry has affirmed that the Argentine facility serves civilian purposes exclusively.

However, Argentina’s space agency CONAE noted that while the agreement mentions a commitment to peaceful use, the monitoring of radio emissions from the station might not provide adequate assurance, as experts have pointed out that illicit data could easily be concealed within transmissions.

Local perceptions are compounded by the fact that the station employs no one from the surrounding community, with Chinese staff residing and working on-site. Mayor Maria Espinosa stated that the station has positively impacted the local economy; nevertheless, many residents are wary, citing a lack of transparency about its operations.

As local skepticism grows, the surrounding environment remains curious yet apprehensive about how the facility fits into the wider narrative of international space exploration and potential military ambitions.

In conclusion, while some Argentine officials defend the Chinese station, drawing parallels to previous agreements, the fundamental difference remains that the European Space Agency operates as a civilian entity, unlike China’s militarized framework. The public and governmental unease prevail over a situation enshrouded in opacity, leaving room for speculation and concern about the actual nature of activities taking place within the compound.