Beijing is building space alliances in Africa to enhance its global surveillance network and advance its bid to become the world’s dominant space power. China has publicly announced much of this space assistance to African countries, including its donations of satellites, space monitoring telescopes and ground stations. What it hasn’t discussed openly is that Beijing has access to data and images collected from this space technology, and that Chinese personnel maintain a long-term presence in facilities it builds in Africa.
Beijing has 23 bilateral space partnerships in Africa, including funding for satellites and ground stations to collect satellite imagery and data. In the past year, Egypt, South Africa and Senegal agreed to collaborate with China on a future moon base, a project that rivals the United States’ own lunar plans.
China is getting access to surveillance data collected by satellites and telescopes as well as a permanent presence in facilities it builds.
The space infrastructure and equipment that China is installing in Africa have common civilian uses such as transmitting data, monitoring the impact of climate change and helping fly spacecraft. But they also have military applications.
Powerful telescopes are used for space situational awareness. They could predict when US military satellites pass overhead and help coordinate the use of anti-satellite weapons (ASAT). During a conflict, for instance if China invaded Taiwan, knocking out an enemy’s satellites could disrupt missile guidance systems and tangle communications between ground, air and naval troops. China and Russia have previously tested ASATs and are continuing to develop more advanced versions.

Access to a broad range of Chinese-built, foreign-owned satellites gives Beijing the ability to better coordinate military operations. These satellites could also give China a clearer picture of US military activities around the world. The Earth observation satellite assembled in Egypt, for instance, has the ability to take high-resolution images of areas where the US and Egypt carry out joint military exercises.
China’s overseas ground stations, like one it has built in Ethiopia and another it is planning with Namibia, can be used for coordinating military operations, tracking missile launches and monitoring other countries’ space assets. They also add to a sprawling global network of data collection infrastructure, which includes undersea internet cables and 5G networks.
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