United States House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party

United States Capitol, February 11, 2026

[People News] On Thursday (February 26), the United States House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party released a new investigative report revealing how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses infrastructure in Latin America to advance its space capabilities and intelligence collection. The committee’s chairman stated that the CCP’s investment in space activities in Latin America is not only intended to advance its own agenda but also to weaken the United States’ position in the space domain.

According to a report by Voice of America, the report, titled Pulling Latin America into China’s Orbit, details how the CCP military has “weaponized” space-related ground facilities along the “Space Silk Road” in Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile.

The committee’s investigation found that the CCP has developed an extensive network across Latin America, including dual-use (civil-military) space ground stations and telescopes, and is using this network to collect intelligence and enhance the operational capabilities of the CCP military. The report identified at least 11 space facilities in Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile, and Brazil that are linked to the CCP.

The report reached four key conclusions:

• The CCP’s Belt and Road space information corridor has entered Latin America, driven by top-down state directives as part of a broader Chinese space strategy.

• The CCP recognizes the strategic importance of Latin America for space domain awareness and has targeted the region to expand its space capabilities.

• The CCP has secured access to a broad network of dual-use space infrastructure throughout Latin America.

• The CCP is leveraging Latin American space infrastructure to collect hostile intelligence and strengthen its future military operational capabilities.

Committee Chairman John Moolenaar said in a statement Thursday: “Americans’ daily lives depend heavily on the satellites above us, which makes the CCP’s space activities deeply concerning. The CCP’s investments in space activities in Latin America are aimed solely at advancing its own agenda and undermining America’s leadership in space.”

The Michigan Republican lawmaker praised President Donald Trump for taking decisive measures to counter the CCP’s influence in the Western Hemisphere. He added that U.S. allies should immediately adopt the report’s recommendations to prevent further expansion of CCP space infrastructure.

Key policy recommendations in the report include:

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) should review cooperation with countries that host Chinese facilities to ensure there have been no violations of the Wolf Amendment. Passed in 2011 and named after former Virginia Republican Congressman Frank Wolf, the amendment prohibits NASA and NASA-funded personnel from engaging in bilateral cooperation with China (the CCP) and Chinese-owned enterprises.

• Congress should consider updating the Wolf Amendment to close what the report describes as “a growing loophole,” whereby prohibited U.S.-China bilateral cooperation continues under the guise of multilateral agreements.

• U.S. government agencies should reassess cooperation in space, defense, and advanced technology with countries that host CCP-linked space infrastructure, focusing on mitigating risks to U.S. systems, data, and personnel.

• The U.S. government should set clear objectives to prevent the CCP from expanding its space infrastructure in Latin America and ultimately seek to reduce and eliminate CCP space capabilities in the Western Hemisphere that threaten U.S. interests.