China’s expanding role in space in Africa: geostrategic implications
As we enter 2025, the global space race is evolving rapidly. Once dominated by the United States and Russia, space has become a key arena for China’s military, commercial, and geopolitical ambitions. China’s deepening partnerships with African nations – through satellite infrastructure investments and space cooperation – offer transformative opportunities for development, from improved connectivity to enhanced disaster monitoring. These partnerships also reflect a broader strategy of using space diplomacy to secure a foothold in one of the world’s fastest-growing regions.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s political ascendancy in the United States underscores the growing importance of space in national security and technological leadership. China’s expanding space footprint, including increasing involvement in Africa, adds new urgency to questions about the intersection of technology, development, and geopolitics.
China’s Geostrategic Vision in Space
Space is central to China’s military and commercial ambitions. The country recognises that space enables critical infrastructure, from military navigation systems (like BeiDou) to satellite internet. Control of space technologies is key to securing information and commanding global communications —a growing battleground for geopolitical power.
China has set its sights on dominating Low Earth Orbit (LEO), an area crucial for global satellite communications, and provision of faster, low-cost internet. Over the next decade, China plans to launch 40,000 satellites, positioning itself as a direct competitor to industry leaders like SpaceX’s Starlink.
Equally important is China’s ambition to shape space governance. With increasing investments in space, China aims to influence international standards and rules, particularly through organisations like the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
China’s Space Engagement in Africa
African countries increasingly view space technologies as critical to achieving the African Union’s Africa 2063 strategy. The development of satellites and related infrastructure opens solutions to key challenges in agriculture, natural resource management, disaster response, and connectivity. The African Union has elevated the African Outer Space Programme to a key flagship project to “accelerate Africa’s economic growth and development.” The African Space Agency (AfSA), headquartered in Egypt, was inaugurated in 2023 and the African space economy, currently valued at over US$19 billion, is projected to grow by more than 16% by 2026, making the continent a key frontier for space infrastructure development.
Proportion of contracts awarded for acquiring and manufacturing satellite technology in Africa, 2005-2023
Source: authors’ elaborations based on Klinger and Oniosun (2023).
Since 2005, Chinese companies have won approximately 20% of foreign satellite contracts in Africa. China’s overseas space engagement is focused on building a Space Information Corridor, which connects BRI partners to China’s growing space capabilities, including satellites, ground stations, and telecommunications systems. China has constructed and launched satellites for various African countries using the Long March rockets operated by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the main contractor for China’s space programme. It has also supported ground station assembly in Egypt and Ethiopia, critical for satellite data management and disaster monitoring. China’s Fengyun meteorological satellites already provide data to over 30 African nations, and this commitment to early warning and weather cooperation was strengthened at COP29, where China published a new action plan to launch three additional satellites within the next two years and to enhance high-frequency information sharing across African, Asian, and Pacific countries.
Satellites, ground stations and space-related projects developed by China in Africa
Note: Several projects are jointly funded or operated in partnership with local actors. This map includes information only on Chinese developers, implementing agencies and funders. CNSA: China National Space Administration, CGWIC: China Great Wall Industry Corporation; CIDCA: China International Development Cooperation Agency; MOFCOM: China Ministry of Commerce; CAST: Chinese Academy of Space Technology. Source: authors’ elaborations based on AidData (2023), Space in Africa and press search.
China’s LEO Satellite Internet Ambitions
The Digital Silk Road initiative has already seen Chinese firms like Huawei and ZTE lead the way in developing terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure across Africa. Today, the civilian market for satellite internet is growing due to increasing demand for reliable, low-cost, and high-speed data transmission in underserved and remote areas where the extension of terrestrial fibre and wireless networks is challenging. China’s entry into the LEO satellite internet race could address this gap.
China’s recently announced efforts to launch massive satellite constellations to serve domestic and international markets — such as the 13,000-satellite Guo Wang and 14,000-satellite Qianfan projects —aim to challenge established players like SpaceX’s Starlink or Eutelsat OneWeb. The competitor mega-constellations already provide low-cost internet services in a growing number of African countries but have faced regulatory hurdles. China has an opportunity to strengthen its economic footprint and directly compete in satellite internet in African markets by leveraging its existing BRI partnerships.
Looking ahead
China’s space ambitions are reshaping what was once a neutral domain for exploration to a new frontier for national security, economic development, and global influence. Through ambitious satellite programmes and overseas infrastructure investments, China is gaining a strategic edge in space and digital communications. For African nations, these partnerships offer access to advanced technology transfer, but risk creating greater reliance on China’s services and governance frameworks. The next decade will determine whether African countries can leverage the opportunities or face new dependencies in this critical domain.