[By Guancha Observer Network, Zhang Jingjuan] Recently, it was revealed that the United States is pressuring Chile to obstruct the normal development of the astronomical research project "TOM" conducted by China and the Northern Catholic University (UCN) in this South American country. The incident also involves the fact that, following instructions from the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the University of Chile did not proceed with handling related matters.

According to comprehensive reports from Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and other media outlets, on April 29 local time, Chinese Ambassador to Chile Niou Qingbao condemned the U.S. interference in Chile and the dissemination of false information about the project at a press conference held in Santiago, the capital of Chile. Ambassador Niou also urged Chile to exclude U.S. interference and resume construction of the project as soon as possible.

He stated that China has no interest in geopolitics, while the U.S. "uses geopolitical rhetoric to smear Chinese projects" to provoke tension. The U.S. interferes with Chile's right to autonomously choose its partners, disregards Chile's sovereignty, and obstructs the project in every possible way.

The TOM project, which stands for Transient Objects Monitoring, falls under the category of time-domain astronomy. It aims to observe various time-domain astronomical events such as supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational waves, and solar system objects through a sky survey telescope. This project holds significant importance for revealing major scientific issues such as the origin and evolution of stars, the nature of black holes, the state of neutron stars, and the origin of heavy elements in the universe.

The ambassador disclosed that China had completed road construction to the observatory base in January this year, and some equipment had already been delivered to Chile.

As early as 2016, the Northern University of Chile and the National Astronomical Observatory of China had signed a framework agreement for the above project. However, the Chilean government recently stated that the agreement requires approval at the national level or coordination by the University of Chile.

Ambassador Niou refuted this, stating that negotiations are only required when investors apply for tax exemptions and other preferential conditions; this case does not fall into such circumstances.

Chilean media El Ciudadano previously reported that the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs had indicated that the project could be advanced after legal assessment by the University of Chile, but due to the instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the University of Chile ultimately did not sign the agreement.

The report considered that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' actions—pointing out the University of Chile while simultaneously blocking cooperation—are clearly contradictory to its own proposals.

That day, Ambassador Niou also questioned: "If the U.S. persists in accusing the project of having military purposes, then we cannot help but ask whether the military applications of the U.S.-funded Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile also exist?"

The Vera Rubin Observatory, which began construction in 2015, is about to be launched. Located approximately 482 kilometers north of Santiago, the capital of Chile, its research focuses on exploring the most mysterious components of the universe—dark matter.

Ambassador Niou emphasized that China is closely monitoring the situation and hopes that the Chilean side will exclude U.S. interference and approve the project as soon as possible.

Chinese Ambassador to Chile Niou Qingbao Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Chile

It was reported that the spokesperson for the Chilean government, Aisén Etcheverry, said that the Chilean government is communicating with the Northern Catholic University of Chile (UCN) and the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to "confirm whether the project complies with Chile's institutional framework."

The report pointed out that this dispute places Chile in a difficult position while the Boric administration tries to avoid the worst effects of Trump's tariffs, highlighting the increasingly difficult balancing act faced by Latin American countries in the geopolitical and economic rivalry between China and the U.S.

Earlier, Chilean Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren confirmed in an interview with CNN that the U.S. "is concerned" about China's project but did not reveal specific details.

Recently, Brandon Judd, the nominee for the post of U.S. Ambassador to Chile put forward by President Trump, took advantage of the topic of the TOM project during his testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations to stir up hype, expressing concern over China's growing influence in Latin America, especially in Chile. He claimed that if his nomination is confirmed, he would seek to "restrict China's access to Chile's resources," particularly in space and technology fields.

Judd said: "Chile is one of the strongest 'democratic nations' in our region. President Boric and his government recognize the importance of strengthening national civil rights. We can cooperate with the Chileans. What we offer is far more than what China can provide."

"In all fields critical to Chile, including Antarctica affairs, fisheries, marine conservation, we are better partners," Judd added.

He also claimed: "We need to build on existing resources and continue to strengthen ties with Chile while restricting China's access to Chile's available resources."

In the same venue, Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat member of the Military Committee and senator from New Hampshire, also criticized Sino-Chilean astronomical cooperation. Shaheen said: "China is expanding its influence in Latin America, Africa, and even globally, while the U.S. is withdrawing. This is not in line with our security interests."

Rendering of the new LSST telescope built by the U.S. in Chile, whose purpose, performance, etc., are very similar to those of China's TOM project.

The northern desert region of Chile, due to its clear skies and low light pollution, offers excellent astronomical observation conditions, making it home to about 70% of the world's astronomical observation capabilities and placing this small country at the forefront of global space competition. Currently, the U.S., EU, Australia, and other countries have established observatories in the Atacama Desert of Chile.

On April 16, the Chinese Embassy in Chile clearly explained the nature of the TOM project in a statement: The project fully complies with Chilean law. Once completed, it will allow international observatories to submit observing time proposals, contributing to global scientific discovery collaborations. Moreover, there are many such sky-survey devices like TOM around the world; the U.S. itself has invested in and constructed large-scale sky-survey telescopes such as the Vera Rubin Observatory LSST, Pan-STARRS, SDSS, and CSS projects in Chile.

Based on this, the Chinese Embassy in Chile sternly refuted Judd's remarks, accusing the U.S.'s "hegemonistic" actions of attempting to interfere with Chile's right to choose international partners: "The U.S. deliberately conceals the fact that its LSST telescope has exactly the same scientific nature as TOM and covers all the scientific research goals of the TOM project, spreading false information about TOM, obstructing normal Sino-Chilean astronomical technological cooperation. This is an unambiguous manifestation of the Monroe Doctrine. The U.S. attempt will not succeed."

This article is an exclusive contribution by the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reproduced without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7498977954572026403/

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