Exclusive: Swedish space company halts new business helping China operate satellites
Source: Reuters
By Jonathan Barrett, Johan Ahlander
SYDNEY/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden’s state-owned space company, which provides ground stations that help fly Chinese spacecraft and transmit data, said on Monday it would no longer renew contracts with China or accept new Chinese business, because of changes in geopolitics.
The Sweden Space Corporation (SSC) has had contracts allowing Beijing access to its antennas in Sweden, Chile and Australia since at least 2011. It told Reuters those contracts would not be renewed.
“The geopolitical situation has changed since these contracts were signed in the early 2000s. We have to assess where we can do business and it’s harder for us to make that assessment regarding the Chinese market now,” Anni Bolenius, head of communications at SSC, told Reuters.
The company made the comments after Reuters reported that SSC would not renew a contract for China to use its ground station in Australia.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/china-space-australia-exclusive-int-idUSKCN26C0H7
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