BUENOS AIRES, (Reuters) – Argentine lawmakers have proposed legislation to boost oversight of a Chinese space tracking station that has stirred unease among local residents, fuelled conspiracy theories and sparked concerns amongst critics about its true intent.
The Chinese-run facility, a space observation station located in Argentina’s remote Patagonia region, has a powerful 16-story antenna that is able to help monitor and coordinate China’s growing space program.
Six lawmakers, including the Senate majority leader, submitted a bill to create a commission that would monitor “the cooperation agreement” between Argentina and the Chinese government relating to the lunar exploration program.
In January, Reuters reported that the remote 200-hectare (494 acre) station operated with little oversight by Argentine authorities. President Mauricio Macri’s former foreign minister, Susana Malcorra, said Argentina had no physical oversight of the station’s operations.
The bill, dated March 25, was referred to on the Senate’s official website, though the full text of the legislation was not publicly available.
Miguel Ángel Pichetto, the majority leader, said in a post on his official Twitter account that he had presented the bill to create a commission to control the space tracking station, run by the Chinese military, located in the central province of Neuquén in Patagonia.
