Chinese space aggression is on Taiwan's mind
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
HSINCHU, TAIWAN — Taiwan's space agency wants to improve abilities to monitor Chinese maneuvers in space out of concern that acts of aggression could go undetected.
Why it matters: Space and satellites are essential to everyday life: financial markets, navigation, weather predictions, communication. They're also critical to military operations, enabling long-range strikes and surveillance.
- But if a Chinese satellite "is doing some spooky things on our satellite, it's really hard for us to" actually observe it in time, a Taiwanese official told reporters during a tour of the Taiwan Space Agency's facilities and assembly line.
What they're saying: "If it's in the air or if it's in the ocean, you can actually see that," the official said.
- "If it happens in space, it's really hard to collect evidence," said the official, noting that TASA hopes to build out that capability in the near future.
State of play: The agency is responsible for multiple Earth-imaging projects, including Formosat-5 and -8. Synthetic aperture radar, which can penetrate bad weather and smoke, is planned for Formosat-9.
Threat level: China has over the years conducted several satellite close-approaches. That reflects "a likely on-orbit antisatellite capability," according to the 2025 China Military Power Report.
- Beijing also destroyed one of its own satellites in 2007, scattering space debris.
The bottom line: Space is dual-use. You don't know if "the civil space is purely civil space. You don't know the military use is purely military use," the official said. "Sometimes it's really hard to distinguish those two."
Go deeper: Global powers brace for space warfare
Editor's note: This trip, attended by more than a dozen members of the media, was organized and partially funded by the Taiwanese government.
