The Space Arms Race begins: Should the U.S. and China cooperate?

Gordon G. Chang
Forbes.com

Did the arms race in space begin this week?

"Competition between military forces is developing towards the sky and space, it is extending beyond the atmosphere and even into outer space," said the chief of the Chinese air force in the Nov. 2 edition of People's Liberation Army Daily, the official newspaper of China's military. "This development is a historical inevitability and cannot be undone."

What cannot be undone is the effect of General Xu Qiliang's words. Chinese state media, however, tried to do just that, contending that the foreign media misinterpreted him. Then Chinese diplomats got in on the act. "China has never and will not participate in an outer space arms race in any form," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu on Nov. 5. "The position of China on this point remains unchanged."

China's position--at least up until this week--was that no nation should use space for the purposes of war. In February of last year, Beijing and Moscow introduced a draft space treaty at a disarmament conference in Geneva. The Bush administration opposed it on the sensible ground that a deal would be unverifiable--any object in space can be used as a weapon if it can be maneuvered to arrange a collision, for instance. Moreover, a ground-launched missile can also be used to knock out satellites, space stations or shuttles.

The Russians and Chinese, in all probability, were just engaging in a public relations exercise last year because they obviously had no intention of ever allowing the intrusive inspections that would have to be built into any meaningful treaty. Yet, minutes after his inauguration, President Obama called Beijing's and Moscow's bluff by coming out in favor of a global agreement to keep weapons out of the heavens.

In response to Obama's countermove, Beijing--or at least the People's Liberation Army--has now changed tack and announced its intention to begin the space arms race in earnest. General Xu's bold words, interestingly enough, come at the same time that some in Washington are calling for civilian cooperation with the Chinese in space.

Read the analysis, HERE.

China's Air Force commander calls for 'harmonious use of space, air,' China Daily

Xinhua - The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force commander Xu Qiliang on Friday called for peaceful and harmonious use of the space and air by the world's air forces.

Xu made the remarks in a keynote speech during an international forum on peace and development in Beijing to mark the 60th founding anniversary of the PLA air force.

No single country could stay out of the way, or protect itself if the space and air was turned into a battlefield, Xu said.

"We propose that a just, effective safety mechanism in space and air must be built to prevent conflicts and wars, so that space and air can better serve civilization," he said.

Xu called on air forces of different countries to enhance cooperation, exchanges and mutual trust in order to ensure mutual safety.

Air forces should reach consensus on issues concerning safety in space and territorial airspace and to improve international laws and regulations, he said.

They should cooperate to battle terrorism, separatism and extremism, engage in disaster relief, and conduct joint military exercises, Xu said.

Environmental protection of space and air was also of great concern, he said.

Xu's words came days after he said the shift in the world's military buildup towards space and air was "inevitable" in an interview on November 1.

Air force leaders and representatives from China and 34 other countries attended Friday's forum, which aimed to deepen understanding, cooperation and friendship between the air forces.

The PLA air force was founded on November 11, 1949.

Aside from the forum, the PLA is also expected to put its most advanced warplanes on display in the suburbs of Beijing as part of the celebrations for the anniversary.

All the aircraft to be exhibited, including the Kongjing-2000 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEWC) aircraft, J-11 fighters, H-6 bomber jets, and HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, were made in China.

China's foreign ministry disavows PLA comments about space militarization

(AFP) - China on Thursday denied it would ever participate in a space arms race, disavowing comments by a top general who said Chinese armed forces should prepare for the militarization of outer space.

"I want to point out China has all along upheld the peaceful use of outer space. We oppose the weaponization of outer space or a space arms race," foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters.

"China has never and will not participate in an outer space arms race in any form. The position of China on this point remains unchanged," he said.

Ma was asked to respond to comments this week by Air Force Commander Xu Qiliang of the People's Liberation Army, who was quoted by state-run media as calling the militarization of space an "historical inevitability."

"We must build an outer space force that conforms with the needs of our nation's development, the demands of space age development," Xu was quoted as saying in Monday's edition of the People's Liberation Army Daily.

Xu's comments sparked speculation of a possible shift in China's position.

General Kevin Chilton, who heads the US Strategic Command, said Tuesday he wanted more information on China's position when asked about Xu's remarks.

China's ambitions in Space "is an area that we'll want to explore and understand exactly what China's intentions are here, why they might want to go in that direction and what grounds might accommodate a different direction," he said.