Time for U.S. To Collaborate with China in Space

摘要

The U.S.-China bilateral relationship is the most important of the 21st century. In order to maintain the fidelity of this relationship and bring to bear the potential advances in productive and technological capacity it could unlock, a U.S.-China bilateral approach to space exploration is needed. Despite the fact that China is a member of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and has signed all treaties related to space, members of Congress have prohibited any form of cooperation between NASA and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) since 2011. To initiate a meaningful relationship between the current and future technologists and entrepreneurs of these two great nations, U.S. policymakers must reconsider the cost-benefit trade-offs associated with a long-term commitment to cooperative space exploration with China.