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US-China relations
OpinionComment
Chee Yik-wai
Chee Yik-wai

Opinion | China’s earthly concerns take priority over ‘space race’ with US

  • Any such race requires speed and competition, neither of which appear to be present in the US or Chinese space programmes of late
  • If China ever makes significant progress towards commercialising space resources, the US could then change and start competing

Reading Time:3 minutes
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The rocket carrying China's Tianwen-1 Mars rover lifts off in Wenchang, Hainan province, on July 23. While the narrative of a “space race” between China and the United States is emerging, the gap between the two remains too large to generate significant competition. Photo: EPA
Chee Yik-wai
July was indisputably the Mars probing season of 2020. Two years after the last probe went to Mars, both the United States and China sent missions to Mars last month, with China launching Tianwen-1 on July 23.
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News reports have fuelled a narrative of a “space race” between the two superpowers, especially amid increased tensions following the closures of the Chinese consulate in Houston and the US consulate in Chengdu. It is reminiscent of the Cold War, when the US and Soviet Union competed for ideological leadership by showing off their technological capabilities.

Who will win this space race? Can the US beat China like it once did the Soviet Union? Sorry to disappoint, but there is no space race between the US and China.

Any such race requires speed and competition, neither of which have been part of the US or Chinese space programmes so far. China is not engaging in a race as the Communist Party leadership’s top priority is avoiding the disintegration that ended the Soviet Union.

01:48

China launches mission to Mars with lift-off of home-grown Tianwen-1 spacecraft

China launches mission to Mars with lift-off of home-grown Tianwen-1 spacecraft

Its leaders are understandably sensitive to the consequences of pointless competition for the sake of prestige. The Communist Party prioritises sustainability. There is no need to put beating the US in space above improving living conditions and eradicating poverty.

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