Insider Brief
- China is expanding its global influence through space partnerships in Africa, investing in satellites, ground stations, and research infrastructure while the U.S. reduces international space commitments, Reuters reports.
- Egypt’s satellite assembly facility, built with Chinese support, highlights Beijing’s long-term presence in African space projects, granting access to surveillance data and strengthening its strategic foothold.
- The Pentagon warns that China’s space investments in Africa have military implications, but no direct evidence has been provided, while African nations increasingly turn to Beijing for financing and technological support.
China is using its space program to gain global influence, forging alliances across Africa as the United States pulls back from international space partnerships, Reuters reports.
According to an investigative piece by the news service, Beijing has reportedly signed 23 space agreements with African nations, investing in satellites, ground stations and research infrastructure. In Egypt, China has built a satellite assembly facility and launched multiple satellites, strengthening its foothold in the country’s growing space sector. The partnership includes a long-term Chinese presence at the facilities, giving Beijing access to surveillance data collected from these projects, according to Reuters.
Egypt is not alone. South Africa and Senegal recently joined China’s lunar exploration initiative, positioning Beijing as a rival to the U.S. Artemis program. At a summit in September, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged $50 billion in loans and investments over the next three years to expand space cooperation with African nations, further embedding China’s influence on the continent.
According to a report by think tank ODI, the effort to stake a claim as a partner — if not leading partner — in Africa’s burgeoning space program stretches back decades.
The group reports that since 2005, Chinese companies have secured about 20% of foreign satellite contracts in Africa, expanding Beijing’s role in the continent’s space sector. As part of its Space Information Corridor, China has built and launched satellites for African nations using its Long March rockets while supporting ground station assembly in Egypt and Ethiopia to improve satellite data management. At COP29, China pledged to expand its meteorological satellite network, committing to launch three new satellites within two years to enhance early warning systems across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.
Independent, or Deeply Dependent?
The Egyptian satellite facility, located east of Cairo, was intended to mark a step toward an independent African space program. But the reality differs from the vision. According to Reuters, Chinese scientists oversee the production process, satellite components arrive from Beijing, and the final assembly is conducted under Chinese guidance. While the Egyptian government promotes the facility as a national achievement, the project cements China’s role as the architect of Egypt’s space ambitions.
China has also provided Egypt with two of the world’s most powerful space monitoring telescopes, the news service reports. These systems, which track satellites and other objects in orbit, have significant military applications, including the potential to support anti-satellite operations, according to a 2022 U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report. The Pentagon has raised concerns that China’s growing space presence in Africa allows it to collect sensitive data and enhance military capabilities, Reuters reports. However, no direct evidence has been provided linking Chinese space projects in Africa to military operations.
“China has democratized space to enhance its authoritarian capabilities … and it’s doing so very effectively,” said Nicholas Eftimiades, a former U.S. intelligence officer and expert on Chinese espionage operations, as reported by Reuters. He described China’s strategy as an effort to build a “global surveillance network.”
China’s space expansion comes as the U.S. is reducing its foreign space investments. Under President Donald Trump’s administration, Elon Musk has spearheaded efforts to scale back the federal government, including cutting funding to the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has historically supported American soft power abroad. The U.S. has also struggled to compete with China’s diplomatic approach, Reuters reports. African nations looking to develop their space sectors have turned to China, which offers financing and technical expertise.
While China says it is supporting developing nations in space exploration, its investments provide strategic advantages. A Chinese-built satellite for Egypt, launched in 2023, has military-grade surveillance capabilities, according to sources cited by Reuters. Additional ground stations in Ethiopia and Namibia enhance China’s ability to track missile launches, coordinate military operations, and monitor global satellite activity.
China denies that its space activities are tied to military operations. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, dismissed concerns about China’s global surveillance network.
“The U.S. is not in a position to smear or defame China,” he told Reuters, citing America’s own history of intelligence gathering.
Is The U.S. Losing Friends?
Despite U.S. concerns, African nations continue to deepen their space cooperation with China.
“The U.S. had decades to help Africa develop their space programs, but they never did,” said Temidayo Oniosun, managing director at Space in Africa, a Nigeria-based consultancy, as reported by Reuters. “These countries are realizing that the U.S. doesn’t exactly have their best interests at heart.”
China’s broader space ambitions extend beyond Africa, according to Reuters. It has accelerated its launch of low-Earth orbit satellites to rival Musk’s Starlink and aims to send astronauts to the moon by 2030. The China National Space Administration is leading an effort to establish an International Lunar Research Station, competing directly with NASA’s Artemis Accords. More than a dozen countries, including Russia and Egypt, have signed onto China’s moon base project.
Ultimately, the situation paints a picture of China bent on dominance in African space development presents, which would present a strategic challenge for Washington. NASA has only recently begun constructing a ground station in South Africa, its first in the region. Meanwhile, China continues to expand its influence through large-scale infrastructure projects and long-term partnerships.
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