China’s Space-Tracking Ships Step Up Activity in Pacific amid Expanding U.S. Military Drills
A quiet but significant competition is emerging across the Pacific Ocean as China intensifies its use of space-tracking and missile-monitoring vessels. According to data from the Pacific Center for Island Security (PCIS) in Guam, five Chinese research ships operated across the northern Pacific last month — just as the United States increased its series of multinational military exercises in the region.
The PCIS report suggests that the Chinese vessels were engaged in more than oceanographic research. Several ships belong to China’s expanding deep-space tracking and missile telemetry network, capable of monitoring launches, guiding satellites and mapping undersea areas that could become key to future space-related warfare.
Leland Bettis, director of the PCIS, said the pattern reflected how modern military strategy links space operations with the oceans beneath them. “When you look at the number of U.S. multilateral drills, the tempo is extremely high,” Bettis said. “So is it surprising that China is pushing its space-tracking and mapping platforms into this undersea battlespace? Probably not.”
Chinese Vessels Near Kiribati and Guam
The PCIS’s newly launched Melanesian Security Monitor revealed that three Chinese vessels — including the Yuanwang 7, a space and missile tracking ship — were active near Kiribati during the past month. The Yuanwang fleet forms part of China’s global space-tracking network, supporting satellite positioning, missile telemetry and deep-space missions.
Kiribati, a small Pacific island nation with an exclusive economic zone covering 3.6 million square kilometres, occupies a key orbital corridor. It raised concerns last year when a Chinese intercontinental missile test ended near its waters, highlighting how the Pacific is becoming intertwined with outer-space competition.
Two additional Chinese vessels were spotted east of Guam, operating near island states that hold defence agreements with the United States, including the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. Both locations host space-related infrastructure and U.S. missile-defence systems.
Heightened U.S. Military Activity
Neither China’s foreign ministry nor the Kiribati government responded to requests for comment on the vessels’ missions. Meanwhile, U.S. activity in the region has intensified. Between August and November, the United States conducted nine multinational exercises near Guam with partners such as Australia, India, Japan and South Korea. These drills featured missile defence coordination, satellite-based communication and joint surveillance networks.
The U.S. military maintains a strong presence across Micronesia, including upgraded wharves, runways and other facilities that support both surface and orbital operations. Bettis cautioned that this growing visibility may come with risks. “Thirty years ago, U.S. presence was a shield,” he said. “Today, with modern technology and long-range precision systems, it can make these islands a target.”
As space and sea domains increasingly merge, Pacific island nations face rising pressure amid the rivalry between China and the United States. The region now represents a strategic frontier connecting seabed networks and satellite orbits.
The PCIS monitor, supported by commercial donors, the Carnegie Corporation and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, aims to highlight these emerging space-linked security dynamics across the Pacific.