China ramps up construction on new Antarctic station, new satellite images show

New Delhi: New satellite imagery gathered by a Washington-based think tank reveals China is expanding its Antarctic footprint, and the data suggests that work has started again on the country's fifth station in the southern polar region for the first time since 2018, reported Reuters.

Beijing has pushed to extend its research in Antarctica and create new shipping routes in the Arctic, but Western nations are concerned that China's growing presence in the polar regions could provide the People's Liberation Army (PLA) improved monitoring capabilities.

According to Reuters, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) stated in a research that the new station, on Inexpressible Island near the Ross Sea, is anticipated to have an observatory with a satellite ground station and could assist China "fill in a major gap" in its ability to access the continent.

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The 5,000 square metre (53,820 square foot) station's new support buildings, temporary structures, a helipad and the foundations for a larger main facility were all identified by CSIS using satellite photographs collected in January. By 2024, it was predicted that the construction would be finished.

"While the station can provide tracking and communications for China's growing array of scientific polar observation satellites, its equipment can concurrently be used for intercepting other nations' satellite communications," CSIS said, as reported by Reuters.

According to the report, the station is strategically located to gather signals intelligence over Australia and New Zealand as well as telemetry information on rockets launched from Australia's new Arnhem Space Centre. The station will eventually have a dock for China's Xuelong icebreaker ships.

According to CSIS, China's footprint in Antarctica is expanding more quickly even though the US still has a larger research presence there, including the largest facility in its McMurdo station. The report states that China's fifth station will be 200 miles (320 km) away from McMurdo.

According to Reuters, the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, to which China is a signatory, limits activities on the continent to "peaceful purposes." Military personnel are permitted to carry out scientific research, but they are not permitted to establish bases, perform manoeuvres, or test weaponry.

According to a Pentagon assessment from 2022, China's new Antarctic infrastructure was probably built in part to support its claims to natural resources, marine access, and enhanced PLA capabilities in the future.

Claims that these stations might be used for espionage are denied by China, reported Reuters.

With inputs from agencies

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