WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) and the Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI) have released a joint report, U.S. Underwriting of Chinese Military Companies Operating in Latin America, which details how Beijing is working to penetrate and control the space sectors of Latin American countries through dozens of ostensibly commercial agreements concluded with its state-controlled Chinese space companies that, in effect, act as fronts for the People’s Liberation Army. To add insult to injury, this Chinese strategy of what PSSI terms “space sector capture” is being funded, in no small part, by average American investors.
Following an initial report on China’s global program of “space sector capture,” Ground Game of Authoritarian Space Powers (CPA/PSSI, August 14, 2025), this new report provides an in-depth look into the sphere of Chinese space operations with the greatest proximity to the United States. The results are alarming.
The researchers recorded 94 deals between Latin American countries and Chinese or Russian entities between 1988 and 2025 (48 Chinese and 46 Russian deals), with China overtaking Russia in all sectors except launch since Russia’s annexation of Crimea and full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022.
The report details how in the case of three countries, Argentina, Venezuela, and Brazil, primarily state-owned Chinese entities have captured the provision of satellites, launch services, ground stations, remote sensing, and telemetry, tracking and control, along with personnel and financing. The location and capabilities of the Chinese-linked ground stations across these countries strongly point to these facilities as likely supporting Chinese military and intelligence activities.
Indeed, the next Brazilian satellite is planned to include a “synthetic aperture radar” (SAR), allowing data collection regardless of cloud cover, weather, or lighting conditions, data that would be managed through Chinese-linked systems and institutions, all controlled by the PLA.
Breaking new ground, the report reveals how, in the cases of Venezuela and Brazil, Chinese engagement includes an academic dimension, with personnel receiving training at Beihang University, one of the “Seven Sons of National Defense,” a group of elite, state-funded universities that are the heart of China’s military-industrial complex.
The report also confirms the Peoples Liberation Army’s control of these activities, revealing that these mostly state-owned enterprises host “military representative offices” from multiple PLA service branches.
Furthermore, the report identifies how these state-owned enterprises, often subject to sanctions, are able to obtain financing from American capital markets and private equity firms through the use of a complicated web of subsidiaries and affiliates.
“The Latin American market presents tremendous commercial opportunities for U.S. companies to provide launch services, space and ground segment infrastructure, research and development, technical training, and education,” said Zach Mottl, Chairman of CPA. “We must provide reliable alternatives to China’s predatory offerings, so that the business goes to our space industry.”
“The national security dangers of China’s control of the space sectors of several Latin America countries, including Brazil are staggering,” said Jon Toomey, President of CPA. “Congress must enact incentives to counter China’s ‘space belt and road,’ and stop the outrageous practice of American investment in Chinese military space companies and their subsidiaries and affiliates.”
The CPA/PSSI Space Security Initiative was formed in 2025 to expose how Beijing is working to penetrate and control the space sectors of more than 120 countries worldwide and present appropriate policy responses for urgent adoption by Congress and the Administration.
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