Chinese Intentions in Space: A Historical Perspective for Future Cooperation

The United States (U.S.) is opening a new dialogue with China on cooperation in space that includes human space flight. The announcement appeared in the Joint Statement issued by U.S. President Obama and Chinese President Hu in Beijing, China on 17 November 2009. The two leaders also agreed “the two countries have common interests in promoting the peaceful use of outer space and agree to take steps to enhance security in outer space.”1 These are significant shifts in U.S. civilian and military space policy. The U.S. ended cooperation in space with China more than a decade ago2 and consistently refused to discuss Chinese concerns about security in outer space