China articulates with Chile for observatory approval and accuses the USA of interference

The Chinese government has asked Chile to resume the construction of an astronomical observatory in the north, interrupted earlier this year, and criticized the United States for attempts to block the project. The statement was made by China’s ambassador to Chile, Niu Qingbao, during a meeting with journalists on Tuesday (30).

According to Niu, Chinese authorities are in dialogue with the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs to continue the venture. According to the diplomat, the stoppage would be related to objections raised by US authorities.

“The US has consistently defamed this project, interfered with Chile’s sovereign law to choose its partners independently and obstructed the project in every way possible,” said Niu. “We hope the Chilean side can eliminate American interference and approve the project as soon as possible.”

The dispute over the Observatory takes place amid President Gabriel Boric’s government effort to balance relations with China and the United States. The theme is part of a broader context of geopolitical pressure on Latin American countries in the face of strategic competition between the two largest economies in the world.

United States officials raised concerns about the Observatory during the Joe Biden government.

According to the magazine report NewsweekAmericans are afraid that the installation can be used to track satellites and integrate abilities of the Chinese Military Space Program.

In January of this year, Chile’s Foreign Minister Alberto Van Klaveren acknowledged in an interview with CNN that the United States “worried” about the project, but did not detail the content of the concerns.

Brandon Judd, nominated by Donald Trump to the post of Ambassador in Chile, has publicly defended that the United States act to contain Chinese influence in the region and make it difficult for China to access Chilean resources. Judd stated that the project can expand Beijing’s strategic presence in the southern hemisphere.

The observatory in question is located in the desert of northern Chile, an area recognized for its conditions favorable to astronomical observation, such as clean sky and low light pollution. Currently, about 70% of the global spatial observation capacity is concentrated in the Chilean territory.

China has already completed the construction of the site access road in January, and part of the necessary equipment for the operation of the Observatory is already in the country, according to Ambassador Niu.

The project was formalized in 2016, through an agreement between the Catholic University of Norte and a Chinese astronomical center, during the official visit of President Xi Jinping to Chile. At the time, Xi attended meetings with then President Michelle Bachelet.

Despite the agreement between the Chilean institution and the Chinese Observatory, the government of Santiago indicated that the initiative needs state authorization or intermediation of the University of Chile, which has legal prerogatives for projects of this nature.

The position of the government is that only the University of Chile can represent the state in international agreements in the scientific area.

Ambassador Niu, in turn, disputes this interpretation. According to him, additional formal requirements would only apply in cases where the investor seeks specific benefits, such as tax exemption for equipment imports. He argues that the project in question does not claim such concessions and, therefore, should not be subject to a new negotiation.

The dispute over the approval of the Observatory reflects the challenges faced by Chile in its geopolitical position.

China represents approximately 40% of Chilean exports, while the United States account for about 15%. Despite this difference in the commercial agenda, Chinese investments in the country are still lower than those made by Beijing in other Latin American nations.

The installation also rekindled the debate on the purpose of foreign scientific projects in Chilean territory. Niu stated that accusations of military purpose should be applied with the same criterion to projects funded by Washington.

“If the US insists on blaming the project for military purposes, we may wonder if the US astronomy project in Chile has military purposes,” he said, referring to the US Observatory, funded by US agencies.

To date, the Chilean government has not issued a new official position on the continuity of the project. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the theme is still under analysis. There is no forecast announced for a final decision. The Chinese diplomatic dome, in turn, will expect Chile to authorize the resumption of works in the coming weeks.

With information from Bloomberg