More than a decade ago, China launched its Belt and Road Initiative, pouring billions into ports, railways and power plants across the developing world to extend Beijing’s economic and political reach far beyond its borders.

Today, experts say China is applying that same playbook to a far more strategic domain: space.

Across Africa, Latin America and other parts of the Global South, Chinese firms have quietly built or expanded satellite ground stations, tracking facilities and space infrastructure that position Beijing as a gateway to orbit for countries like Pakistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Venezuela, Argentina and Namibia, which lack the resources to get there on their own. Analysts warn the effort carries implications not just for economic influence, but for future warfare and global dominance.

A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) finds that China is embedding itself deeply into the space programs of dozens of countries, offering end-to-end services that include satellite design, manufacturing, launches, training and ground infrastructure — a strategy that could give Beijing long-term leverage over a domain increasingly critical to modern military power.

High above Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, a newly expanded satellite facility built by Chinese firms now tracks objects in orbit. Similar Chinese-built or Chinese-operated sites have appeared in Egypt and Namibia, where large satellite dishes, tracking antennas and testing complexes support space missions that can serve both civilian and military purposes.

Together, the facilities form part of a growing global network strengthening China’s ability to track, communicate with and potentially influence activity in space — now widely viewed by defense planners as a new frontier of conflict.

‘This is really about who’s winning the space diplomacy race in the Global South,’ said Matthew Funaiole, a senior fellow at CSIS and one of the report’s authors. ‘Space is becoming central to economic power, national security, and military capability, and China is positioning itself accordingly.’

Once dominated by science and commerce, space is now treated as a warfighting domain alongside land, sea, air and cyberspace. Satellites underpin modern military operations, enabling communications, intelligence collection, missile warning, navigation and targeting.

Experts say China cannot operate a truly global space power from within its own borders alone. Satellites require constant tracking and communication, which is only possible through a worldwide network of ground stations spread across multiple continents. 

By building facilities overseas, China is closing gaps in its own network and adding redundancy that would be critical in a crisis.

‘Chinese-built ground stations can absolutely support civil and scientific missions — and they do,’ Funaiole said. ‘But they also provide China with the ability to level up its own national security capabilities.’

The report raises particular concern about the dual-use nature of the infrastructure China is exporting. Facilities marketed as scientific or commercial assets also can be used to monitor military satellites, communicate with defense systems, and collect sensitive data — capabilities closely tied to China’s People’s Liberation Army.

Compounding those concerns is a lack of transparency over who ultimately controls the data flowing through these systems.

‘When you’re dealing with space technology in China, there’s always a question of who has access and what the data is being used for,’ Funaiole said. ‘That lack of transparency is a real issue.’

Instead of ports and highways, experts say Beijing is now exporting satellites, launch services and ground stations — offering countries a turnkey path to space while embedding Chinese technology, standards and companies deep inside critical national systems. It is, in effect, Belt and Road applied to orbit.

‘There’s a lot of interest across Africa and Latin America in gaining access to space,’ Funaiole said. ‘Many countries just don’t have the capabilities to do it on their own, and China has stepped into that gap in a way the United States largely hasn’t.’

The report introduces a new China Space Cooperation Index, ranking 64 countries based on the depth of their engagement with Beijing. More than three-quarters of those countries are in the Global South, with Africa accounting for the largest share.

While China’s commercial space sector remains less advanced than that of the United States, it has leveraged state-backed financing, diplomatic outreach and bundled technology offerings to gain footholds that can be difficult to unwind.

‘Once countries are in China’s ecosystem, it becomes very costly for them to switch away,’ Funaiole said. ‘We’ve seen that play out in other critical technologies.’

The United States, by contrast, built its global space network decades ago primarily for warfighting and allied defense, relying on facilities in close partner nations rather than developing countries. Washington never packaged space access as a diplomatic tool, leaving a gap China is now exploiting.

While Africa has emerged as a hub for China’s newest physical infrastructure, the report finds some of Beijing’s deepest space partnerships are in Latin America, including Venezuela and Argentina — developments with direct implications for U.S. security interests closer to home.

That expansion has not gone unnoticed in Washington. 

On display during the most recent operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump explicitly revived what he dubbed the ‘Donroe Doctrine,’ a modernized and more confrontational take on the Monroe Doctrine that asserted the United States’ right to push hostile foreign powers out of the Western Hemisphere.

The posture was sharpened by the crisis in Venezuela, where China had built a significant economic and technological footprint, reinforcing concerns that Beijing was using infrastructure and technology partnerships to gain long-term strategic leverage in Latin America.

Experts say China’s growing role in satellite launches, space infrastructure and data-sharing agreements shows how strategic competition is moving beyond ports, power plants and telecom networks — and into space.

Beyond security concerns, the report warns of economic consequences if China becomes the space partner of choice for the developing world. The global space economy is projected to reach trillions of dollars in the coming decades, and long-term partnerships forged today could determine who dominates that market tomorrow.

Despite China’s momentum, Funaiole stressed that the United States still holds decisive advantages, if it chooses to use them.

‘The U.S. still has tremendous strengths,’ he said, pointing to companies like SpaceX, which he described as ‘leaps and bounds ahead’ of Chinese competitors. ‘China is trying to emulate that success.’

The question, he said, is whether Washington is willing to treat space not just as a scientific or commercial arena, but as a strategic tool of diplomacy, deterrence and competition.

‘This isn’t an area where it’s too late,’ Funaiole said. ‘The U.S. still has the ability to provide a real alternative — but it requires sustained attention and commitment.’

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted in a Thursday post on X that the regime in the Islamic Republic of Iran has arrived at ‘its natural terminus’ and cautioned against squandering the ‘historic opportunity.’

‘The Iranian regime has reached its natural terminus. The government has zero legitimacy, is weaker than ever, and has run the economy into the ground. With sustained pressure, we could see an end to this evil, anti-American dictatorship. Let’s not waste this historic opportunity,’ he declared in the post on X.

Pompeo served as CIA director, and then as Secretary of State, during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.

Trump has been expressing his support for Iranian dissidents and promising U.S. assistance.

‘Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!’ he declared in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, using the acronym that stands for ‘Make Iran Great Again.’

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton warned that if Trump does not take action, his credibility will suffer damage.

‘It will be a blow to Trump’s credibility if the United States does nothing in Iran. He drew red lines and the regime crossed them,’ Bolton asserted in a post on X.

Bolton, who served as national security advisor during a portion of Trump’s first term, had previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during part of President George W. Bush’s second term.

Bolton has both praised and criticized Trump since leaving his first administration. He was indicted in October on charges related to the improper handling of classified materials.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and David Spunt contributed to this report.

Tensions between Syria’s transitional government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) escalated this week after Turkey warned that Damascus could resort to military force against the group, following days of deadly clashes in and around Aleppo. The SDF played a critical role in aiding U.S. forces to defeat the Islamic State in Syria.

Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said Thursday that Syria’s use of force against the SDF seems an option, adding he hoped the crisis could be resolved through dialogue, according to Reuters.

The remarks came after several days of fighting between Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters that displaced tens of thousands of civilians and left at least 23 people dead, Reuters reported.

The warning underscores mounting regional pressure as negotiations aimed at integrating the SDF into Syria’s national army remain stalled nearly a year after a U.S.-backed framework agreement was signed.

The United States remains deeply involved in efforts to prevent the confrontation from spiraling, with U.S. Central Command mediating daily on the ground in Syria alongside partners such as France, the U.K., Turkey and Jordan. ‘CENTCOM is on the ground inside Syria playing an active mediating role every single day,’ said Charles Lister, senior fellow and director of the Syria Initiative at the Middle East Institute.

‘Fundamentally, the United States remains the SDF’s biggest and most important backer, supporter, provider of finance, training and, to an extent, defense,’ he said.

Lister said Washington has already used significant leverage, including compelling SDF leader Mazloum Abdi to sign the March 2025 framework agreement.

‘We would not have had the March framework agreement had it not been for basically Gen. Mazloum being strong-armed onto a helicopter, flown to Damascus, and told that he needed to sign that agreement,’ he said.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the SDF accused Syrian government forces and Turkey of what it described as a ‘dangerous military escalation’ across eastern Aleppo’s countryside, including Deir Hafer, Maskanah and the area surrounding the Tishreen Dam.

The SDF claimed Syrian government forces carried out more than a dozen attacks using artillery, mortars and suicide drones and said civilian infrastructure, including a post office and a bakery, was struck.

The SDF also said Turkish Bayraktar drones struck multiple SDF positions near Maskanah and Tabqah. Turkey and the Syrian government had not publicly responded to the claims.

The crisis stems from a failed March 2025 agreement intended to merge SDF forces into Syria’s Ministry of Defense.

‘There’s no question that Damascus has been a tough negotiator,’ Lister said. ‘Having said that, the government has also bent significantly.’

Lister claims the deal stalled because of internal divisions within the SDF. ‘The fact that no deal has been implemented is quite frankly because the SDF is not a united, cohesive movement,’ he said. ‘There are elements within the SDF who absolutely do not want this deal to be implemented.’

He said some factions are deliberately delaying implementation. ‘Their calculation is clearly that the longer that they can stall, they hope that the Syrian transitional government will do something to destroy its international credibility,’ Lister said. ‘It’s just a stall-and-wait-and-see approach.’

‘That approach is intrinsically dangerous,’ he said. ‘It only guarantees conflict.’

‘Over the past two or three days, there have been a number of Turkish drone strikes on SDF military bases in this frontline district in eastern rural Aleppo,’ Lister said.

‘Turkey is primed to get back involved,’ he said. ‘When Turkey has gone all out on the SDF, the SDF haven’t stood a chance.’

According to Lister, only pressure from the highest level could alter the trajectory.

‘The only thing that’s going to change the equation here is if President Trump makes it publicly clear that this deal has to be made and implemented expeditiously,’ he said.

‘This is not contained,’ Lister warned. ‘All the preparations are clearly being made for this to become an active military zone unless serious diplomacy pulls both sides off the brink.’

A statement issued by the U.S. Mission of the Syrian Democratic Council accused Syria’s transitional authorities of targeting Kurdish areas in Aleppo and undermining the political process. ‘What is happening now is not merely a military escalation by the Damascus authorities,’ the statement said. ‘It is an effort to undermine the prospects of building a new Syria.’

The council said Syrian forces were taking control of Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo ‘through force, intimidation, and coercion,’ and warned that the escalation could destabilize the region. The group also warned that continued fighting could benefit extremist groups.

‘The primary beneficiary of this escalation will be ISIS, allowing terrorism to re-emerge and once again threaten international peace and security,’ the statement said.

‘We call for an immediate and independent investigation into the crimes committed against Kurds in Aleppo. We urge US decision-makers to monitor the conduct and behavior of the Damascus authorities, take the necessary measures to halt the escalation, and implement the March 10 agreement in full—without any delay or pretext whatsoever.’

Reuters contributed to this report.

At least one U.S. aircraft carrier is being moved toward the Middle East as tensions with Iran continue to build, military sources confirm to Fox News.

It is not yet clear whether the carrier is the USS Abraham Lincoln, currently operating in the South China Sea, or one of two carriers that departed Norfolk and San Diego earlier this week. Transit to the region is expected to take at least a week.

U.S. military assets from air, land and sea are expected to flow into the region in the coming days and weeks to provide the president with military options should he decide to carry out strikes against Iran, sources said.

The movements are part of what officials described as a process of ‘setting the force.’

One well-placed source said if the president decides to carry out military action, ‘This will be different, more offensive.’ The source said U.S. military planners are preparing a range of options that would depend on how Iran’s regime acts in coming days.

Missile defense systems are also expected to be sent to the region to bolster the defense of U.S. bases and Israel. The systems would include missile defense assets, according to sources.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

After a brief series of delay tactics deployed by Democrats, the Senate passed a $174 billion spending package, sending a trio of funding bills to President Donald Trump’s desk.

The move puts Congress one step closer to averting a partial government shutdown, but lawmakers are only halfway through completing and passing the legislation needed to keep the lights on in Washington, D.C.

Neither party is keen to repeat the events of last fall, when Congress shattered the record for the longest government shutdown in history at 43 days. Still, hurdles remain before the fast-approaching Jan. 30 deadline to fund the government.

Despite attempts by Senate Democrats to slow the process, with lawmakers railing against recent actions by the Trump administration in Minnesota and Colorado, the power of jet fumes and an impending week-long break from the Capitol smashed through any resistance.

The three-bill package, known as a minibus, includes legislation to fund commerce, justice, science and related agencies; energy and water development and related agencies; and interior, environment and related agencies.

Comparatively, that package, and a forthcoming two-bill package from the House, are much easier lifts for lawmakers to pass than what’s to come.

Funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proved tricky, given congressional Democrats’ outrage over the agency’s actions in Minnesota.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was hopeful that a forthcoming package would include that bill, and that it could advance through the House to the Senate in the coming weeks.

‘Appropriators are working on another package of the four remaining bills, which I hope will receive the same bipartisan backing that has characterized the appropriations cycle thus far,’ Thune said on the Senate floor. ‘And before the end of the month the Senate will need to process all of these funding bills and get them to the president’s desk.’

But there is an acknowledgment among several lawmakers that Congress will likely have to turn to a short-term funding extension, or continuing resolution (CR), for some remaining funding bills or directly targeted at DHS.

Congressional Democrats are demanding restrictions on DHS funding, particularly money that flows to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent last week.

Lawmakers are staying tight-lipped, for now, about what exactly the restrictions could be.

In the upper chamber, Homeland Security Appropriations Chair Katie Britt, R-Ala., said that Republicans had sent a ‘counteroffer to the Democrats but have yet to hear back from them.’

When asked if, ultimately, a CR for just DHS funding would be acceptable for the time being, she told Fox News Digital, ‘What I want to do is actually pass a bill.’

‘I find it hard to believe that Democrats would give President Trump, in their words, a ‘slush fund’ on DHS,’ Britt said. ‘So I think figuring out a pathway forward is what we need to do for everybody involved. And so I’m continuing to be committed to doing that. Time is of the essence.’

Britt’s opposite on the committee, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., noted that the bill was ‘obviously the hardest,’ but contended that Democrats did not want to try to fix every issue in one fell swoop.

He also believed that a CR wouldn’t fix any of the issues, either.

‘A CR doesn’t stop them from terrorizing our citizens, doesn’t stop the violence,’ Murphy said. ‘So, a CR isn’t great. A budget without any constraints on DHS isn’t likely to get a lot of Democratic votes either.’

‘That’s one of the difficult things to figure out, is whether there’s any language you can put in a budget that the administration will follow,’ he continued. ‘But yes, I think there are ways that we could write accountability into the budget that would be hard for the administration to avoid.’

The Senate’s passage of the minibus comes after the House advanced its latest two-bill package on Wednesday evening. That bill totaled roughly $80 billion in funding for the State Department and related national security, as well as federal financial services and general government operations.

That legislation easily passed the House in a 341-79 vote on Wednesday evening and is now headed to the Senate for its consideration.

House appropriators are expected to release the text of their minibus covering the War Department, Labor Department, Education Department, Department of Transportation, and Department of Health and Human Services, among others, in the coming days.

House GOP leaders are hoping to advance that bill, which will likely be the largest by far, next week while the Senate is in recess. The House will be out the following week.

Questions remain about whether DHS funding will be part of that legislation or its own standalone issue, however.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital on Wednesday, ‘Right now, there’s no bipartisan path forward for the Department of Homeland Security bill.’

As President Donald Trump turns up the volume on his efforts to acquire Greenland from Denmark, two new national polls put a spotlight on the fact that most Americans oppose taking over the massive and crucially strategic island that lies between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.

Eighty-six percent of voters nationwide questioned in a Quinnipiac University poll said they would oppose military action to take over Greenland.

That includes 95% of Democrats, 94% of Independents, and even more than two-thirds (68%) of Republicans surveyed by Quinnipiac late last week through Monday.

Three-quarters of Americans questioned in a CNN poll conducted at the same time said they opposed a U.S. takeover of Greenland. Ninety-four percent of Democrats and eight in 10 Independents said they would oppose such a move, with Republicans split 50%-50%.

Meanwhile, by a 55%-37% margin, voters questioned in the Quinnipiac survey said they opposed any U.S. effort to try and buy Greenland.

But there’s a stark political divide on this question, with the vast majority of Democrats and nearly six in 10 Independents opposed to buying Greenland, and more than two-thirds of Republicans supporting such efforts.

‘The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of national security,’ the president argued in a social media post Wednesday.

And the president emphasized that ‘anything less’ than U.S. control of Greenland is ‘unacceptable.’

Trump’s push for the U.S. to acquire Greenland is causing tension with Denmark and other NATO allies who insist that the semiautonomous Danish territory should determine its own future. 

Trump officials are openly considering all options, including military force, to take Greenland, spurring bipartisan opposition from some in Congress.

Troops from several European countries deployed to Greenland this week for a brief two-day mission to bolster the territory’s defenses. 

France, Germany, Sweden and Norway are participating in the exercise, Fox News has learned. Leaders say the mission is meant to demonstrate they can deploy military assets ‘quickly.’ 

Fox News’ Gillian Turner and Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.

The White House stood by its decision to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War on Thursday — even as watchdogs warn the change could cost taxpayers as much as $125 million.

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a congressional research agency, the costs come primarily from the manpower the change would require.

‘Broadly, the costs would include staff time spent updating document templates, revising websites or modifying letterhead,’ the CBO’s report said.

‘The scale of those costs would depend on how aggressively DOD implemented the title and how it prioritized renaming activities over other ongoing missions.’

On the low end, the change could cost as little as $10 million, the CBO said.

Asked if the switch is worth the price tag, the White House told Fox News Digital the name is more in line with what the nation’s armed services are equipped to do. 

‘Under President Trump’s leadership, the now aptly named Department of War is refocused on readiness and lethality — and its title now reflects its status as the most powerful fighting force in the world. The White House is working hand-in-glove with the Department of War on implementation of the Executive Order,’ White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.

The estimates of the name change hinge on whether the DOD intends to immediately replace items like stationery, signage, nameplates, uniforms, shirts and more — or whether those items can be phased out over time as they naturally make their way out of circulation. It also depends on whether the change is limited to the Department of Defense itself or all the defense-wide agencies under its purview.

Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office at the Department of War did not respond to a request for comment on its plans.

The report explains that the cost analysis is based on analogous changes to military bases from 2020 to 2023, removing the names of Confederate officers. In that change, the agency estimated implementing name revisions to nine bases would cost up to $5 million per station. Final estimates came out slightly under that projection at $39 million.

The name-change efforts began last year when President Donald Trump issued an executive order in September. The administration framed the move as a restoration of the department’s original design.

‘The Founders chose this name to signal our strength and resolve to the world. The name ‘Department of War,’ more than the current ‘Department of Defense,’ ensures peace through strength, as it demonstrates our ability and willingness to fight and win wars on behalf of our nation at a moment’s notice, not just to defend,’ the White House said in a statement at the time.

‘It was under this name that the Department of War, along with the later-formed Department of the Navy, won the War of 1812, World War I and World War II.’

The CBO noted the department’s name can be officially changed only by an act of Congress.