Javier Milei's government decided to deactivate a controversial project promoted by the Chinese Communist Party to install a new space observation radar in El Leoncito, San Juan. The antenna, of enormous dimensions, was part of an international network of observatories controlled by Beijing and had similar characteristics—but with greater range—to the already operational base in Neuquén.
The agreement that allowed its construction was signed in 2015, during Cristina Kirchner's government, between CONICET, the National University of San Juan (UNSJ), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC). This agreement, which expired in June of this year, was not renewed by decision of the Casa Rosada.
A project under suspicion
The so-called Argentine-Chinese Radiotelescope (CART) involved an estimated investment of 350 million dollars, including equipment, civil works, and operational maintenance. The radar had a main reflector 40 meters (131 feet) in diameter and a secondary reflector over 4 meters (13 feet) in diameter, with a positioning system capable of orienting the antenna to capture signals from deep space.
Although it was officially presented under the pretext of a "scientific initiative," geopolitics and defense experts warned about the potential military use of this technology. The United States Embassy also expressed concern about the advance of Chinese technological apparatus in Argentine territory.
Milei's government stopped at Customs the materials sent from China, which had documentary irregularities. "No relevant Chinese authority took responsibility for those shipments," an official source explained to Infobae.
The Neuquén precedent and Chinese advances during Kirchnerism
The most visible precedent is the base installed in Bajada del Agrio, Neuquén, operated by Chinese personnel under a confidentiality regime. In 2023, a commission of Argentine officials, scientists, and academics had to request special authorization to enter and conduct an inspection of a base located in our territory, which highlighted the level of sovereignty cession agreed to by Kirchnerism.
