By Focus | 2025-11-14

As the People's Liberation Army (PLA) seeks to extend China's global influence and reach, it is expanding its ground-based infrastructure to build systems that will allow for data sharing among land, sea, air and space assets.

Telemetry stations, launch sites, satellite control centers, data reception stations, communication networks and deep space tracking networks are all areas earmarked for expansion, in service of both civilian and military interests.

Liao Wang-1, a space support and intelligence-gathering ship, entered service in April, showcasing China's newest signals intelligence (SIGINT) capabilities.

Liao Wang-1 is designed to monitor military satellites, track missile launches and function as a mobile command and control center for space and naval operations, according to London-based intelligence firm Grey Dynamics.

China claims the vessel, which replaces the Yuan Wang-class tracking ships, is being used for scientific research, but other nations, including India and the United States, have raised concerns that these vessels are used for surveillance.

China's five-year civil space infrastructure development plan will conclude in December, and a new 10-year plan is expected to be released next year.

Many anticipate the new plan will allow easier avenues for commercial companies to become engaged in the space sector, and expand dual-use technologies that can be used for both commercial and military purposes.

Focus on regional neighbors

Beijing convened a Central Conference on Work Related to Neighboring Countries in April, the first such gathering in more than a decade, signaling a heightened foreign policy focus on its neighbors in the region.

Shortly ahead of the conference, Beijing opened a Global South Research Center, highlighting its plan to deepen relations with Southeast Asian nations.

Through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has built an extensive land and sea infrastructure network to expand its economic and strategic influence.

China uses or has used at least 18 ground stations across Africa, Latin America, South Asia, the South Pacific and Antarctica to communicate with spacecraft.

Facilities in Europe and Australia were in use until 2020, when the Swedish company that owned them decided against renewing its contract with China.

Since 2022, China has signed 26 bilateral space cooperation agreements with more than a dozen countries.

These agreements include plans for foreign astronauts to assist in Chinese missions, the use of launch facilities, general personnel exchange/training, partnering on deep space projects, satellite development and data sharing.

To date, satellites from over 15 countries have been launched from China, while Chinese space diplomacy includes agreements with other states as well as regional and multilateral organizations.

China has cooperated with Western nations on space efforts, but as increasing global tensions and competition strain relations, the most recent data illustrate a shift in focus toward partnering with developing nations.

Inroads into Southeast Asia

"China has invested substantial effort in establishing greater defense cooperation with Southeast Asian countries," particularly with mainland Southeast Asia, Lowy Institute deputy research director Susannah Patton said in an August analysis.

"Further inroads, especially if nascent defense cooperation with Indonesia and Malaysia were to become more substantial, would add to China's narrative and provide it with new pathways to pursue its interests," she warned.

"If current trends persist, Southeast Asia risks dividing into two camps: maritime countries with deep defense ties to the United States and its allies, and mainland countries lacking such cooperation," she said.

In late August and early September, Southeast Asian heads of state from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma and Vietnam attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit and China's Victory Day Parade.

Observers note that their inclusion in these events is evidence that China's diplomacy with geographic neighbors is critical to its new regional strategy.

But though China's plans to extend its hegemony are gaining legitimacy with neighboring nations, this support is not unwavering or without concerns.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is expected to sign a pact with China by the end of this year to broaden trade and economic opportunities.

In the first four months of this year, China-ASEAN trade hit $331 billion.

China has drastically increased exports to Thailand and Vietnam, and analysts say its strengthening of cooperation with Southeast Asian countries shows it hopes to assume a heightened security role and extend its regional influence.

China is aiming to "at least compel Southeast Asian countries to consider Beijing's interests when it comes to the South China Sea and Taiwan," said Collin Koh, senior fellow at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

Yet some ASEAN nations remain "concerned about the potential security ramifications of being close to China," Koh said.