Western governments worry Beijing’s increasing presence in polar regions could be used for surveillance
China is increasing its Antarctic footprint according to new satellite imagery collected by a Washington-based thinktank that shows construction has resumed for the first time since 2018 on the country’s fifth station in the southern polar region.
Beijing has sought to develop new shipping routes in the Arctic and expand its research in Antarctica, but western governments worry its increasing presence in the polar regions could provide the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with better surveillance capabilities.
