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China's space program: progress framed as a threat?

Fact Check 赖美雅 制图

As China's space program reaches new heights, some in the West have framed its advancements as a direct challenge to the United States.

On November 27, 2024, Fox News published a report titled China's Secret Weapon in the Space Race Is Already Hurting Us, alleging that Beijing seeks to dominate space "at the expense of the United States."

This rhetoric perpetuates the notion of a "China space threat," yet it fails to account for the broader context of China's achievements—a story of overcoming decades of international isolation and technological barriers.

2024年12月17日,神舟十九号航天员乘组圆满完成第一次出舱活动。

On December 17, 2024, the Shenzhou-19 astronaut crew successfully completed their first extravehicular activity (EVA). (Photo: China Manned Space Agency)

Breaking through barriers

China's space program has made remarkable strides in recent years. In 2023 alone, it conducted nearly 70 launches, deploying over 200 spacecraft and exceeding 500 missions in its Long March rocket series. Landmark achievements include the completion of its lunar exploration program, which brought lunar samples back to Earth, and the Tianwen-1 Mars mission, which successfully orbited, landed, and deployed a rover.

These successes were hard-won, built on a foundation of resilience amid international exclusion.

In the 1980s, during the planning of the International Space Station (ISS), China expressed interest in joining the project. However, citing security concerns, the U.S. consistently opposed China's participation. A similar scenario unfolded in the early 2000s when China partnered with the European Union on the Galileo navigation satellite system. Despite contributing 270 million USD to the project, China was excluded from key technological developments, and by 2007, the EU formally barred its participation.

The U.S. further isolated China with the 2011 "Wolf Clause," which banned NASA and other federal agencies from bilateral cooperation with China. Forbes characterized this move as "paranoid," effectively ending decades of constructive engagement and compelling China to pursue self-reliance in space.

Faced with these barriers, China charted its own course. It developed the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, now a competitor to the U.S. GPS, and launched its Tiangong space station after being excluded from the ISS. These milestones highlight China's ability to innovate under pressure and demonstrate its commitment to advancing space exploration independently.

U.S. space challenges: a system under strain

While China's space ambitions have surged, the U.S. space program faces significant internal hurdles.

NASA's Artemis program, a flagship effort to return astronauts to the moon, has encountered persistent delays. Originally slated for 2024 and 2025, key missions have been postponed to 2027 or later, largely due to unresolved technical issues with the Orion crew module. These setbacks underscore the systemic challenges that hinder U.S. space efforts.

In addition, regulatory responsibilities for the U.S. space industry are fragmented among agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This lack of cohesion has caused delays, inefficiencies, and complications for both government-led and private-sector initiatives.

Many of these challenges are domestic in nature. Framing China's progress as a direct threat diverts attention from the structural reforms needed to revitalize U.S. space innovation and competitiveness.

Rather than perpetuating a zero-sum perspective, a more constructive approach would focus on fostering international collaboration to address shared challenges, such as space sustainability, orbital debris management, and deep-space exploration.

Co-presented by GDToday and the School of Journalism and Communication, Jinan University

Author | Liu Xiaodi, Zeng Xiaotao (intern)

Editor | Yuan Zixiang, James, Shen He

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