China’s ambitions in Antarctica

China’s „Great Wall Station“ is the country’s oldest station in Antarctica. Beijing’s fifth and largest station to date is currently under construction.

Satellite images show that China is building a fifth research station in Antarctica. While Beijing stresses that it wants to cooperate in the region with other states, Western observers warn of espionage. The US military reports about dual-use technology and suspicious antennas at China’s stations.

If a hole were drilled from Beijing to the other side of the planet, one would end up in the South Atlantic, between Argentina and Antarctica. So hardly any other place could be further away from China’s center of power than the Antarctic region.

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