Journal article 1110 views
Did you see that Grandpa Mao? The prestige and propaganda rationales of the Chinese space programme
Michael Sheehan
Space Policy
Swansea University Author: Michael Sheehan
Abstract
China has seen a dramatic acceleration in the scope and capabilities of its space program in the past decade. This has been coupled with significantly increased global economic presence and influence as well as a steady improvement of its military capabilities. China’s emergence as a major world act...
| Published in: | Space Policy |
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| Published: |
2013
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa13639 |
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| Abstract: |
China has seen a dramatic acceleration in the scope and capabilities of its space program in the past decade. This has been coupled with significantly increased global economic presence and influence as well as a steady improvement of its military capabilities. China’s emergence as a major world actor has encouraged the emergence of a ‘China threat’ school of thought which interprets all Chinese policy, including its space program, as evidence of a threatening challenge to US dominance in which the pursuit of a range of military space capabilities plays a central role. This article challenges that interpretation, arguing that China’s space program reflects a particular diplomatic strategy for achieving parity with existing great powers, where those powers capabilities are seen by China as criteria to be acquired to confirm status, rather than assets needed for future military challenges, and where cooperation with other major powers is desired for its own sake, as well as for pragmatic purposes of knowledge transfer. |
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| Keywords: |
China, Space Policy, International Security |
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |