China Opened Observation Station in Tajikistan
DID Press: China has opened a super observation station at Tajikistan-Afghanistan border with probably dual purposes.
According to Xinhua, China has opened a “super observation station for climate and the environment” near the Tajik city of Shahrtuz in the southeastern Khatlon region.
The station will monitor “dust, pollutants and meteorological elements in key areas of Central Asia,” according to a Chinese expert.
The station’s location near the Tajik-Afghan border suggests that the facility may have a dual purpose: it could also be used to keep an eye on Islamic militants operating in Afghanistan.
The Shahrtuz facility is part a network of monitoring stations developed by China’s Lanzhou University.
According to a report prepared by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Lanzhou University is one of at least 68 Chinese institutions of higher learning “officially described as parts of the defense system or [which] are supervised by China’s defense industry agency, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.
The development comes as concerns over replacements and millitant activities in northern Afghanistan escalated.
