China Builds Space Alliances in Africa With Surveillance Access

China is building a network of space partnerships across Africa that give Beijing access to satellite imagery and surveillance data while U.S. engagement has slowed, according to a Reuters investigation published Feb. 11, 2025.

Beijing has 23 bilateral space agreements on the continent. It donates or co-develops satellites, ground stations, and monitoring telescopes, and publicly frames the work as development aid. What China does not advertise is that it keeps access to the data those assets collect and maintains permanent personnel in many of the facilities it helps build.

Egypt as Hub

Egypt is the centerpiece of China's African space effort. A satellite manufacturing facility near Cairo, billed as Africa's first homegrown satellite producer, began operating in 2023. In practice it is heavily dependent on Chinese technology and staff. Chinese scientists run operations and core equipment comes from China. Egypt has received three Earth observation satellites from Beijing, including one capable of military-grade surveillance, plus advanced space monitoring telescopes.

Reuters found that China retains rights to use surveillance data and imagery from the space technology it provides, and keeps a lasting presence of Chinese personnel in African facilities.

Money and Moon

At a September 2024 meeting with African leaders in Beijing, President Xi Jinping announced $50 billion in Chinese loans and investment for Africa over three years, with satellites and lunar exploration among the stated priorities. Egypt, South Africa, and Senegal have agreed to work with China on a future moon base. In February 2025 China launched the Long March 8A rocket, designed to deploy larger batches of satellites and compete with constellations like SpaceX's Starlink.

Strategic Shift

The expansion comes as the Trump administration has cut foreign aid and pulled back from some multilateral engagement. Chinese state media describes the space cooperation as part of technology multipolarization and democratization. Critics say it extends Beijing's global surveillance and influence while giving African partners limited real independence in space capability.

What's Next

African space agencies are likely to face continued pressure to choose between Chinese and Western partners. How much control host countries retain over data and operations will be watched closely by Western governments and human rights groups.