In October 1956, Mao Tse-tung ordered the start of China's space
program. Four years later, on 5 November 1960, China launched its
first rocket, becoming the fourth country, behind Germany, the
United States, and the Soviet Union, to enter space. Today China
routinely launches space satellites for Western companies,
including US corporations, and is increasing its share of the
global space launch market. But the Chinese also use the technology
and assistance gained in foreign ventures for PRC military
applications. And a principal organization in China's space effort,
the China Great Wall Industry Corporation, has been identified by
the US State Department as engaging in missile technology
proliferation activities. How does China's space effort fit into
its overall development strategy? What is China doing in military
space applications? These are the two principal questions
addressed, in order, by Lt Col William R. Morris and Col David J.
Thompson, both of whom traveled to the PRC in the spring of 2001.
Lt Col Morris examines the relationship between China's evolving
space effort and its national development goals. He shows how the
Chinese have used their space launches both for fund raising and
employment activities, and as a foreign policy tool: Beijing now
has space-related technical and economic cooperation with over 70
countries. But the Chinese also use spin-offs and pirated
technologies from space operations to enhance their imagery,
signals, and communications intelligence. The author also
speculates that the Chinese may be developing electronic pulse
weapons and lazer dazzlers that could degrade an adversary's
satellites. Col Thompson, in his concentrated focus on China's
military space applications, examines PRC ground, space,
counterspace, and space policy aspects. His principal findings:
China has plans to construct a new launch site in the deep south;
PRC telemetry, tracking and command capacities are improving; China
has the ability to conduct limited intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance missions from space; the PRC is pursuing a
counterspace capability most likely using satellite jammers and
anti-satellites (possibly parasitic or nano-satellites). Col
Thompson concludes that while China's space program does not now
constitute a global threat, the PRC is pursuing space capabilities
that will increase its regional influence, and deny an adversary
certain uses of space.
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