A Chinese satellite company linked to the communist government is aiding the Houthis with their attempted attacks on US vessels by giving them imagery the Houthis can use for targeting.
“We can confirm the reporting that Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd. is directly supporting Iran-backed Houthi terrorist attacks on U.S. interests,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Thursday. “Their actions and Beijing’s support of the company, even after our private engagements with them, is yet another example of China’s empty claims to support peace.”
“We urge our partners to judge the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese companies on their actions, not their empty words,” she continued. “Restoring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea is a priority to President Trump. Beijing should take this priority seriously when considering any future support of CGSTL. The United States will not tolerate anyone providing support to foreign terrorist organizations, such as the Houthis.”
“The United States has raised our concerns privately numerous times to the Chinese government on Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co Ltd’s role in supporting the Houthis in order to get Beijing to take action,” a senior State Department official said, according to the Financial Times. The official added that China had “ignored” those concerns.
“Chang Guang is one of a handful of ‘ostensibly’ commercial Chinese satellite companies that are in fact deeply embedded in the military-civil fusion ecosystem, supplying global surveillance capabilities to both civilian and military customers,” James Mulvenon, an expert on Chinese military and intelligence services, asserted.
“Under China’s military-civil fusion programme, companies must share technology with the PLA when ordered by the government,” the Financial Times noted. Matthew Bruzzese, a China defense expert, said CGSTL had “close connections” to the Chinese Communist government and the country’s military.
China helps the Houthis by buying vast amounts of Iranian oil, the Atlantic Council pointed out in January, adding, “China is Iran’s biggest customer, with more than 90 percent of Iran’s exports going to China in 2024. As a result of these exports, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly received as much as half of the fifty billion dollars in oil revenue that Iran earned last year. In turn, the IRGC uses its funds to support its proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.”
