The Current Status of China's Military Space Program

This article analyses China's current military space program. Many of China's space programs are deemed to be civilian, but have dual use, especially with regard to military capabilities. relevance of China's space assets to the military sphere is analyzed. China's distinctive path to space development that includes the military is highlighted with its international cooperation. Collaborating countries include the former Soviet Union, now Russia along with its republics, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Brazil. China's military space development relies heavily on cooperation with other countries, and in particular on the United States. When the latter became public knowledge, it caused a political dispute which led to a Congressional investigation, especially in connection with space launch market cooperation. China's prime interest at this time is in developing anti-satellite weapons as a leveler against a potential adversary's space assets. Key Words: China's Space Program, satellites, anti-satellite weapons, remote sensing, communications, export of U.S. space technology. Current PRC Space Forces focus on economic development whilst improving military technologies is particularly evident in the space sector. current satellites are dominated by dual use systems, such as meteorological, communications and remote sensing satellites.2 Equally important is China's policy of acquiring technology through cooperation with other countries, along with direct purchase. This has been done in the field since it is hard to distinguish civilian and military space systems. relative success of China in this regard means that it is likely that it will continue to do this in the future in order to broaden its development of its space systems. This will have corresponding benefits to the military space sector. uses China would put its space forces to in the event of a war would almost definitely be satellite imagery to monitor Taiwanese defence developments. Indeed there is evidence to suggest that the PRC does this already with its reconnaissance satellite. Chinese seem to be developing capabilities to counter overhead satellite reconnaissance. They have developed through practice a method which a division combines hiding, lying low, and drilling, with the tactics of moving, deceiving and harassing. These actions are sufficient that they are able to mask detection from space assets along with aircraft.4 However, if these claims are true this means that China has the ability to task space assets to attempt detection of troops. Also, it must have trained imagery analysts in order to examine the photographs to enable them to be able to claim that they are capable of avoiding detection. China is expected to develop a new radar remote sensing satellite with an anticipated launch date of 2002. This new satellite would have both civil and military uses, and would be comparable to Canada's Radarsat and the European Space Agency's ERS 1-2 vehicles.' In 1995 China's civilian space spending was approximately $1.38 billion, with around 200,000 people employed in both civil and military space programs.6 These figures are not comparable to Western budgets and work force levels since Chinese labour costs are minimal and does not operate a market economy. China in 1996 began examining the feasibility of establishing a satellite navigation and position system. Secretary General of the Science and Technology Commission, at the Chinese Academy of Space Technology declared in a statement that, The development of an autonomous satellite navigation system is urgent. national defence construction departments also urgently require applied satellites. 7 This system would consist of a twin-satellite navigation and positioning system comprised of two geostationary orbit satellites.8 This proposal has sometimes been referred to as Twin Star,9 also known as the Beidou Navigation System. …

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