The recent joint scientific expedition between China and Chile in the Atacama Trench has ignited a rigorous international debate. The participation of the oceanographic research vessel Tan Suo Yi Hao, a platform outfitted with state-of-the-art deep-sea technology, has drawn intense scrutiny toward the possible strategic implications of the mission, particularly regarding the dual use nature of the data being harvested.
While certain sectors champion the venture as a milestone in scientific cooperation, geopolitical analysts are voicing their concerns about the risks associated with China’s sustained presence in a region of burgeoning strategic value.
Cutting-edge science and strategic capabilities
The Tan Suo Yi Hao is a vessel purpose-built for the rigors of deep-sea exploration. Outfitted with specialized laboratories, acoustic sounding systems, and high-precision dynamic positioning technologies, the ship has the technical capacity to map the seabed, collect geophysical data, and carry out extended missions, Chilean news outlet Cooperativa reported. While these attributes establish it as a premier scientific platform, they simultaneously render it a military tool.
The vessel arrived in Valparaíso in January 2026 to initiative a joint mission between China and Chile in the Atacama Trench. This operation, officially known as the Joint China-Chile Atacama Trench Expedition (JCATE 2026), is organized by the Millenium Institute of Oceanography at the University of Concepción and the Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering (IDSSE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which has direct ties with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The mission itinerary includes some 20 dives and studies at 33 oceanographic stations scattered off the northern coast of Chile. This operation, slated to run through late March, uses the manned submersible Fendouzhe. While it is currently targeting depth of over 8,000 meters in the trench, the Fendouzhe is a full ocean depth vehicle, capable of descending to 11,000 meters.
According to Televisión Universidad de Concepción, this operation represents the most ambitious oceanographic expedition ever conducted in the region, focusing on the analysis of geological triggers for tsunamis and earthquakes, as well as the study of extreme ecosystems.
However, this high-level scientific complexity is precisely what alarms security experts. Argentine political scientist Juan Belikow, a specialist in security and organized crime at the University of Buenos Aires, warned Diálogo that such sophisticated ventures often serve as Trojan Horses, noting that “Chinese-funded scientific vessels fulfill military roles, beyond their stated scientific research objectives.”
This concern is compounded by China’s Military-Civil Fusion strategy, which mandates that civilian scientific advancements be shared with the PLA. While research missions are presented as purely academic, Chinese scientific vessels have a history of carrying personnel with direct ties to the PLA’s strategic and intelligence wings. In this framework, the presence of such personnel a mission of discovery into one of reconnaissance. By blurring the lines between academia and intelligence, the Tan Suo Yi Hao can collect dual-purpose data — where a map used to study seismic faults for tsunamis simultaneously serves as a high-resolution guide for covert submarine navigation.
Science and strategy in the Atacama Trench
The Atacama Trench, renowned for its geological complexity and unique biodiversity, offers an invaluable scientific frontier, yet also serves as a focal point of logistical interest. Analysts such as Malcolm Davis of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute told Infobae that exploration of deep underwater environments often carries significant strategic applications. Davis emphasized that such environments provide idea conditions for testing unmanned underwater vehicles, sensors, and sonar systems, while the collection of thermal and sound data remains a critical asset in maritime conflict scenarios.
Belikow also underscored that Chinese scientific operations align with the defense and intelligence priorities of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). According to the analyst, “detailed knowledge of the Atacama Trench could facilitate activities such as illegal fishing in the South Pacific or provide information for covert underwater operations.” Furthermore, such missions could set precedents for future research in corridors of high military value, such as the Drake Passage or the southern passages connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Argentine expert added.
Transformation of the Chinese fleet: between science and military power
The use of research vessels like the Tan Suo Yi Hao is viewed as a cornerstone of a broader Chinese strategy to project maritime influence. According to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), these vessels accumulate hundreds of thousands of hours of global operations, logging key data on marine topography, currents, and other oceanographic variables. Such data is invaluable for reducing uncertainty during long-range naval deployments by the PLA.
The CSIS report identified recurring operational patterns, including links to state entities, stops at military ports, periodic interruptions of Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), and unauthorized operations within Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). In Latin America, these deployments have already sparked domestic friction. In Chile, on January 24, congressmen Stephan Schubert and Hotuiti Teao formally requested that authorities maintain rigorously oversight of the Tan Suo Yi Hao expedition, citing concerns over potential strategic repercussions.
In response, the Chilean Navy announced that it would maintain “strict monitoring” of the vessel throughout its operations in national waters to ensure compliance with maritime regulations and national sovereignty. As a central component of this oversight, a professional from the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Navy (SHOA) has been stationed on board as a national observer to supervise scientific activities.
Nevertheless, Belikow cautioned that “the participation of Chilean researchers does not guarantee full access to the information collected, as some of the data could be segmented and controlled exclusively by China.”
Regional tensions and global risks
China’s interest in ocean trench exploration extends far beyond the Chilean coast. In recent years, similar deployments have rattled the Indo-Pacific. In 2025, the Philippine Coast Guard detected Chinese research vessels, such as the Zhu Hai Yun and the Xiang Yang Hong 10, operating without authorization in its EEZ, specifically “in strategic areas such as the Balagtas Reef and Masinloc Shoal,” the Philippine Information Agency indicated. These incidents involving the wider research fleet have heightened regional sensitivities.
In March 2025, following a scientific mission in the Puysegur Trench south of New Zealand, the Tan Suo Yi Hao sailed near the Australian coast and conducted operations in the Diamantina Trench rather than returning directly to Hainan. Several media sources reported that the vessel’s route coincided with the location of a submarine cable vital to Australian infrastructure.
Similarly, the case of Sri Lanka illustrated the risks of port diplomacy and dual-use infrastructure. In 2022, the arrival of the Chinese ship Yuan Wang 5 at the Port of Hambantota — controlled by a Chinese state-owned operator under a 99-year lease — caused regional tensions. Although classified as a research vessel, its satellite tracking systems and the port’s potential to host military assets highlighted Beijing’s strategy of converting commercial and scientific presence into military footholds.
In this broader context, the presence of the Tan Suo Yi Hao in the Atacama Trench has sounded alarms in Chile and across the region. While the mission operates under the banner of scientific discovery, the resulting data could transcend the laboratory and become a tool for geopolitical negotiation. As Belikow warned, “China could gain tactical advantages by anticipating information, in a context where political, economic, and military dimensions overlap.”
The scientific cooperation between China and Chile, while undeniably valuable, raises difficult questions about the balance between academic pursuit and strategic ambition in a region of escalating geopolitical importance.
