New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service has alleged that a China-linked organisation attempted to establish space-tracking infrastructure in the country that could collect intelligence of military value. The agency says it disrupted the activity, highlighting concerns that New Zealand’s expanding space sector may be exploited by foreign states for espionage as well as legitimate scientific work.

The annual threat assessment identified Purple Mountain Observatory, a China-based body with close links to Beijing, as working with a local firm apparently unaware of the equipment’s intelligence-gathering capability or the destination of its data. NZSIS said Chinese law could compel the organisation to share information with the government, and described China as the only country it has observed targeting New Zealand at scale; it also cited alleged recruitment efforts through professional networking and job platforms.