Swedish defence agency warns satellite station could be serving Chinese military
- Researchers say facility built by China in northern Sweden may be used to complement or provide additional surveillance should its military satellites be disabled in a time of war
- Claims add to worries over security-related risks in projects involving China
A Swedish defence agency has warned that the country is facing a growing security challenge from China, saying one of its satellite stations could be serving the Chinese military.
Claims about the station in Kiruna, northern Sweden – which was built by China in 2016 – add to controversy over increasing Chinese influence in the country, partly fuelled by rising global scrutiny of such projects involving China.
The Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), under the Ministry of Defence, on Sunday told broadcaster SVT that the nominally civilian cooperation with China could ultimately be controlled by the military.
FOI researchers alleged that China could be using the station – which relays images of the Arctic regions – to complement military intelligence or provide additional military satellite surveillance should Chinese military satellites be disabled in a time of war.
John Rydqvist, one of the researchers, said the blurred lines between China’s civilian and military spheres raised concerns for cooperation between the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), which is owned by the government, and the Chinese satellite station.
