They warn that the mysterious Chinese space station of Neuquén is a "black box" without control

When

China

built
A military space station in the Patagonia region has promised to include a reception center to explain the purpose of its powerful 16-story antenna.

The center is now built behind a 2.5-meter-high barbed wire fence that surrounds the entire space station complex. Visits are by appointment only.

Wrapped in a halo of mystery, the complex aroused the anxiety of local residents, fueled the conspiracy theories and aroused the government's worry of

Donald Trump

According to dozens of neighbors, current and former Argentine officials, US officials, satellite and astronomy specialists and lawyers consulted by Reuters.

The stated purpose of the station is the peaceful observation and exploration of space and, according to Chinese media, played a key role in the pioneering landing of a Chinese spacecraft on the dark side of the moon in January.

But the 200-hectare remote complex operates without the apparent supervision of Argentine authorities, according to hundreds of pages of Argentine government documents obtained by Reuters and reviewed by experts in international law.

The former foreign minister of the president

Mauricio Macri,

Susana Malcorra confirmed in an interview that Argentina did not supervise the operations of the station. In 2016, she revised the China Space Station's agreement to include a stipulation that it would only be for civilian use.

The agreement obliges China to inform Argentina of its activities at the station but does not foresee any mechanism of conformity allowing the authorities to guarantee that it is not used for military purposes, declared experts in law international.

"It does not matter what is written in the contract or in the agreement," said Juan Uriburu, an Argentine lawyer who has worked in two large joint ventures in Argentina and China. "How do you make sure they comply with the rules?"

"I would say that, since one of the actors involved in the agreements reports directly to the Chinese army, it is at least intriguing to see that the Argentine government has not addressed this issue of more specific way, "he said.

China's space program is run by its army, the People's Liberation Army. The Patagonian station is managed by the China Monitoring and Launch Satellite General Monitoring Center (CLTC), which informs the PLA's strategic support force.

Beijing insists that its space program has peaceful aims and its Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Argentine station was reserved for civilian use. He said the station was open to the public and the media.

"Suspicions of some people have hidden motives," the ministry said.

Asked how he guarantees that the station is not used for military purposes, the Argentine space agency CONAE said that the agreement reached between the two countries expressed its attachment to "l & # 39; 39, peaceful use "of the project.

CONAE also stated that the station's radio broadcasts were also monitored, but radio astronomy experts said the Chinese could easily conceal the illicit data contained in these transmissions or add encrypted channels at frequencies agreed with Argentina. .

The Argentinean agency said it had no permanent staff at the station, but made "regular" trips there. He did not specify how often.

Concerns about espionage

The United States is worried about what they see as China's strategy of "militarizing" space, according to a US official, who added that there were reasons for To be skeptical of Beijing's insistence that the Argentine base was strictly reserved for the defense. exploration.

"The Patagonia land station, covertly agreed upon by a corrupt and financially vulnerable government ten years ago, is another example of opaque and predatory Chinese agreements that undermine the sovereignty of host countries," said Garrett Marquis, the word of the Security Council. National White House.

Some radio astronomy experts have stated that the US concerns regarding espionage were exaggerated and that the station was probably what was announced, a scientific adventure with Argentina, even though the 35-meter disc Diameter of the station could spy on foreign satellites.

Tony Beasley, director of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory of the United States, said the station could, in theory, "listen" to satellites from other governments and that it could collect data confidential. But this kind of listening could be done with a much less sophisticated material.

"Anyone can do that, basically, I can do it with a plate in my garden," said Beasley. "I do not know if there is anything particularly sinister or disturbing about any part of the Chinese space radio network in Argentina."

Argentine officials defended the Chinese station claiming that the agreement with China was no different than the one signed with the European Space Agency (ESA), which had built a station in a neighboring province . Both have free leases for 50 years. Argentine scientists theoretically have access to 10% of the antenna time at both stations.

"Black Box"

In Las Lajas, a town of 7,000 inhabitants located about 40 minutes by car from the Chinese station, in the province of Neuquén, the antenna is a source of confusion and suspicion.

"These people do not allow access, they do not let it see," said Alfredo Garrido, a 51-year-old trader. "My opinion is that this is not a scientific research base, but a Chinese military base."

Among the craziest conspiracy theories that journalists have heard during a two-day trip to the city, it should be mentioned this: the base was used to build an atomic bomb.

The road between Las Lajas and the space station is arid and dusty. There is no sign that indicates the existence of the station. The wide antenna is suddenly visible after a bend in the gravel road of the main road. The huge disk is the only sign of human life for miles around.

The station went into service in April. Thirty Chinese employees work and live in this place, which does not employ locals, according to Las Lajas Mayor María Espinosa, who added that the resort had been beneficial to the local economy.

Espinosa said that she had rented her home to Chinese space station workers before they moved to the base and that she herself had visited the site eight times.

Other locals in Las Lajas said that they seldom saw any of the city's train stations, except when staff occasionally went to their Chinese supermarket.

Unattended

When the Argentine Congress debated the space station in 2015, under the presidency of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, opposition lawmakers wondered why it was not stipulated that it was only at civil purposes. However, Congress has approved the agreement.

When Macri took office in 2015, he ordered the revision of a series of agreements that Fernandez had signed with China. He feared that the agreement on the space station does not explicitly state that it should be reserved for civilian use, said Malcorra, his former foreign minister, who went to Beijing in 2016 to resume work.

Malcorra said that he was limited in his ability to revise the agreement because it had already been signed by Fernandez. However, the Chinese have agreed to include the key stipulation: whether for civilian use. She held a press conference with her Chinese counterpart in Beijing to publicize this fact.

"It was something that I had asked to do so that there was no doubt or agenda hidden, and that our people knew that we had acted in this way," he said since his home in Spain.

But still below one key point: supervision.

"It was impossible to do this after the level of recognition of this agreement, which was recognized, accepted and approved by Congress," said Malcorra.

"I would have written the agreement in another way," he added. "It would have clauses that articulate access to supervision." Malcorra said confidently that Argentina could ask China for "guarantees" if in doubt about the activities of the station. When asked how Argentina would be aware of these activities, he said, "Some people will tell us, do not worry."

Visitor Registration

The opacity of the station's operations and the reluctance of Argentinian officials to talk about it make it difficult to determine the recipient of the visit.

A provincial government official provided Reuters with a list of local journalists who visited the facilities.

According to a review of their social media stories and publications, a number of them seemed to have come to the station only one day, in February 2017, 14 months before. its commissioning.

Except Espinosa, the mayor of Las Lajas, no one more than Reuters interviewed in the city visited the station. Matías Uran, a 24 year old resident, said that his sister was part of a group of students who had visited him last year. They saw a dining room and a playroom, he said.

Alberto Hugo Amarilla, 60, who runs a small hotel in Las Lajas, recalled a dinner he attended shortly after the start of the work.

There, he said, a Chinese official who was in the city to visit the site received him enthusiastically. His dinner companions told him that the manager had learned that Amarilla was a retired army officer.

The official, they said, was a Chinese general.

Reuters Agency