According to a report on April 17 by the Chilean media "Citizen Report" (El Ciudadano), the United States is currently exerting pressure on Chile to obstruct China's astronomical research project "TOM" in Chile and smear it as serving military purposes. The report stated that U.S. lobbying groups have extended their "black hands" in an attempt to stop China from continuing cooperation with the Catholic University of the North (UCN) on the TOM project. The full name of the TOM project is the Transient Objects Monitoring (Transient Objects Monitoring) project, which falls under the category of time-domain astronomy. It aims to observe various transient astronomical events such as supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational waves, and celestial bodies within the solar system through sky surveys, which 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 super-heavy elements in the universe. The report stated that China and Chile signed a cooperation framework agreement in 2016, which includes the TOM project. However, a London-based company named "Grey Dynamics" wrote a report claiming that China established the TOM project out of military needs. On its official website, "Grey Dynamics" describes the TOM project as the "fifth overseas node of China's global space surveillance network," stating that the construction of this observatory is aimed at becoming a "space superpower." It is worth noting that "Grey Dynamics" claims on its official website to be a company "dedicated to democratizing intelligence." Furthermore, neither its "Chief Lecturer" nor its "Intelligence Academy Manager" shies away from showcasing his background as a former analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense in personal introductions.

"Grey Dynamics" company's "Chief Lecturer" and "Intelligence Academy Manager" personal introduction, self-identifies as having served as a U.S. Department of Defense analyst. "Grey Dynamics" company website

While "Grey Dynamics" was smearing the TOM project, U.S. politicians also stepped in to make a big deal out of it. Senator Jeanne Shaheen smeared the project in a similar manner to "Grey Dynamics." Additionally, former U.S. Ambassador to Chile Bernadette Mihan had pressured Chile to cancel cooperation with China on the TOM project. Brandon Judd, candidate for U.S. Ambassador to Chile nominated by President Trump, also took advantage of the TOM project during a recent hearing, expressing concerns about China's growing influence in Latin America, especially in Chile. He stated that if confirmed, he would seek to "restrict China's access to Chile's resources," particularly in the fields of space and technology. Judd said: "Chile is one of the strongest democracies in our region. President Boric and his government recognize the importance of strengthening national civil rights. We can cooperate with Chileans. What we can offer is far more than what China can provide." He also stated: "We need to build on existing resources to limit China's access to Chile's available resources." Lisa Tobin, former Director of China Affairs at the National Security Council, also smeared the TOM project, saying: "What we see in Chile is a typical example of China's strategy: establishing seemingly harmless scientific facilities that serve multiple strategic purposes... These observatories can not only track stars but also monitor satellites, collect intelligence, and support military space operations." In addition, some foreign media, including Agence France-Presse, have since March described the TOM project in their reports as "China building astronomical observation stations in America's backyard." While rendering "China extending its reach into Western countries' forbidden territory," they implied that "America's concern about the project is understandable." The Chilean Foreign Ministry told "Citizen Report" in an interview: "After reviewing the nature of the agreement, the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs determined that this is an agreement between a private university and a Chinese entity. The specific content of the agreement is still pending clarification, and we are continuing consultations with relevant parties... If this is an initiative for astronomical observations, it has been pointed out that according to current regulations, private entities cannot conclude international agreements on this matter." As for who requested the review of the TOM project and whether "Grey Dynamics'" related report had any influence on the review, the Chilean Foreign Ministry did not respond to "Citizen Report's" questions.

Rendered image of the newly built LSST telescope in Chile by the United States, which is very close to the TOM project in terms of purpose and performance.

On the Chinese side, the Chinese Embassy in Chile released a statement on April 16, first explaining the nature of the TOM project: the project fully complies with Chilean law, and upon completion, will allow international observatories to submit observation time proposals to contribute to global scientific discovery collaborations. In addition, there are many such sky survey devices like TOM in the world; the U.S. itself has invested in and constructed large sky survey telescopes such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (LSST), Pan-STARRS, Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), Catalina Sky Survey (CSS), and others in Chile. On this basis, the Chinese Embassy in Chile sternly refuted Judd's remarks, accusing the U.S.'s "hegemonic actions" of attempting to interfere with Chile's right to choose international partners: "By deliberately concealing the fact that the scientific nature of the LSST telescope is completely consistent with TOM and covers all the scientific research goals of the TOM project, spreading false information about TOM, and obstructing normal astronomical and technological cooperation between China and Chile, this is a new Monroe Doctrine act that will not succeed." This article is an exclusive contribution from Guancha Observer, unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494646263426613814/ Statement: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone. Please express your opinion by using the "like/dislike" buttons below.