The Chinese space company accused of helping the Houthis

A private, state-linked Chinese space company, accused by U.S. officials of helping Yemen’s Houthi rebels by providing satellite imagery used to target U.S. and international vessels in the Red Sea, illustrates the complexity of today’s great power competition. But a look at what public records tell us about the company is even more illuminating.

Chang Guang Satellite Technology is emblematic of the new breed of Chinese space company: nimble, innovative, and at least nominally private—yet with close ties to China’s party-state and military. 

The firm was established in 2014 as a joint venture of the Jilin provincial government and the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics, and Physics. Part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the institute cooperates closely with the PLA and has been described by Chinese sources as an important contributor to China’s military modernization. 

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