China's Space Program: Designed to Defeat the United States

[Valin]

Gatestone Institute

Lawrence A. Franklin
June 6, 2023

• Far more significant than scoring space spectaculars, however, is the question of which nation will achieve military dominance in the domain of near-earth space. Chinese international media deceitfully stresses the peaceful, cooperative, and scientific nature of its national space program. However, the ambitious nature of China's space program indicates that Beijing's primary objective is to dominate near earth space.

(Snip)

More significant than scoring space spectaculars is the question of which nation will achieve military dominance in the domain of near-earth space. The ambitious nature of China's space program indicates that Beijing's primary objective is to dominate near earth space. Pictured: A Long March 5B rocket, carrying China's Tianhe space station core module, lifts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China's Hainan province on April 29, 2021. (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

The US-China "Space Race" is but one dimension of the ongoing Cold War between the two superpowers. The national space programs of both countries are comprehensive in scope, running across the entire scientific spectrum. Both America and China are focused on scoring space spectaculars to influence the world as to which superpower will inherit the future. Each rival is seeking to be the first to land a human on Mars.

Far more significant than scoring space spectaculars, however, is the question of which nation will achieve military dominance in the domain of near-earth space. Chinese international media deceitfully stresses the peaceful, cooperative, and scientific nature of its national space program. However, the ambitious nature of China's space program indicates that Beijing's primary objective is to dominate near earth space.

The leaders of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) are acutely aware of the advantages that US space-based systems give American troops in combat operations. US collection and data transmission satellites have proven invaluable to deployed American units in Iraq, Afghanistan, and to Special Operations forces targeting terrorists throughout the world.

China's People Liberation Army (PLA) has acknowledged the great value that US space-based intelligence collection has been to Ukrainian forces fighting Russia's invading troops.

In this vein, one strategic goal of the PLA is to deploy the "Beidou" network of satellites in space that equivalent to the US "eyes and ears" in the sky. The PLA commander of China's Western Military Theater will be able to employ the Beidou satellites to monitor deployments of India's military forces along the lengthy, tense Sino-Indian border. The Chinese claim large sections of this border as their sovereign territory, which China threatens to invade like the PLA did in 1962 and 2020-21.

(Snip)

"f the U.S. military doesn't change course... "Air Force Lt. Gen. S. Clinton Hinote, the deputy chief of staff for strategy, integration and requirements, said in 2021," we're going to lose fast. In that case, an American president would likely be presented with almost a fait accompli" – a term "often used in U.S. military strategy contexts to describe a scenario in which an adversary of the U.S. is able to defeat a U.S. strategy before it can even be launched."

It seems high time that the US increased its defense budget instead of cutting it, prepositioned arms in Taiwan for deterrence, and got serious about acknowledging the Chinese Communist Party, led by President Xi Jinping, not as a "competitor," but as an adversary, and an intractable one at that.

Dr. Lawrence A. Franklin was the Iran Desk Officer for Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. He also served on active duty with the U.S. Army and as a Colonel in the Air Force Reserve.