The United States’ privileged status as the leader in space may well be in jeopardy with US vice chief of space operations David Thompson branding China “a tremendous threat”. China aim to replace the Americans as the premier power in space within the next ten years. Thompson revealed that their Chinese rivals already have the upper hand over the US as they possess ‘robots in space’ that can carry out attacks.
But even though for Thompson those goals are anything but unrealistic to meet, he argued that there is no guarantee China will do just that and that their plans will come to fruition.
He told Fox News: “China is a tremendous threat as you heard and noted.
“Now I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that they will be THE leader in space by the end of the decade.
“But they are in an incredible pace.
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“But they are a threat, they can threaten us kinetically.
“The Russians on November 15 conducted a destructive and anti-satellite test and the Chinese did a similar test in 2007.
“They have robots in space that can conduct attacks. They conducted jamming attacks and have a full suite of cyber capabilities.
“China is absolutely an incredible threat that we have to address now and in the future.”
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In 2013 president Xi Jinping said that ‘the space dream was part of the dream to make China stronger’.
At the time he also urged China to reach its full potential and to stop ‘hiding and keeping a low profile’ behind other nations, with achievement paramount.
Jinping’s ‘China Dream’ was all very clear, he wanted to rejuvenate China and turn it into a rich country with a powerful army.
China had to be not only the leading power in Asia but also the global power, in political, economic and security terms.
And to enhance their powers and overtake the US, the Chinese deemed the building of the Space Silk Road as indispensable.
A report in China confirmed the country’s ambitions. It stated: “China’s government and military are determined to meet ambitious goals for space leadership, if not dominance, and China has connected its space program with its broader ambitions to become a terrestrial leader in political, economic, and military power.
” Beijing aims to establish a leading position in the future space-based economy and capture important sectors of the global commercial space industry, including promoting its space industry through partnerships under what it has termed the ‘Space Silk Road.’”