Bonnie Glaser (@bglaser.bsky.social)

China Global Podcast - Episode #94 - Ft. Dean Cheng China’s Ambitious Civilian Space Program Space, once a distant destination, has become another battleground for great power competition. Since the early days of the PRC, the country has been pursuing a series of ambitious space programs aimed to build up its space capacity as an essential element of its comprehensive national power. In recent years, under the Xi administration, Beijing has significantly increased its investment in its civilian space program, notably its plan to send Chinese taikonauts to the Moon before the US can return. As the US-China strategic competition continues to heighten, it is vital to understand China’s space policy and its role in China’s grand strategy. To discuss these issues, Host Bonnie Glaser is joined by Dean Cheng, senior advisor to the China program at the U.S. Institute of Peace. He focuses on China’s space program, Chinese military doctrine, and “dual-use” issues associated with China’s scientific and technical enterprises. Dean recently published a book titled China and the New Moon Race. Timestamp [00:00] Start [01:54] Space Race 2.0 [03:27] Space in China’s Grand Strategy [05:27] Achievements of China’s Space Program [07:18] Similarities and Differences in China’s Approach [09:14] Nature of Public-Private Cooperation in China [12:42] Implications of Landing on the Moon [15:30] A Chinese Incident in Space [17:00] International Lunar Research Station [18:50] Responses to China’s Space Ambitions [21:03] Problems in the US-China Civilian Space Race [23:20] Stars and Stripes on Mars https://bit.ly/4jO3VNI