China has a space tracking station in a close US ally

(China Military News cited from AFP) — China has acquired a space tracking station in Australia, its first such facility in a close US ally, a news report said on Saturday.

The station in remote Dongara, about 350 kilometres (217 miles) north of Perth in western Australia, was used during Tuesday’s launch of the Shenzhou VIII mission, Hong Kong daily the South Morning China Post reported.

The United States and the European Space Agency have long had tracking facilities in Australia, including the joint US-Australian Pine Gap satellite station established decades ago near the central outback town of Alice Springs.

Reaction to the Chinese station, its first in a key US ally’s territory, will be closely watched to see whether Washington will raise objections.

Chinese officials reportedly see Dongara as a major step forward for the rising power’s ambitious space programme, which it holds as a symbol of its growing global stature.

Xie Jingwen, deputy chief designer of the tracking and command system for Beijing’s manned space programme reportedly lauded the move, saying China had “added Australia to its global network of ground stations”.

The Dongara station is its fifth outside China, with one each in Pakistan and Chile, another in Kenya and one in Namibia.