On the surface, it looks like a random act of cosmic vandalism—last week, the Chinese military reportedly destroyed one of its own aging weather satellites using a ground-based missile. But judging from the alarmed tone in Washington yesterday, China’s test is a demonstration of its ability to fight in space, and therefore a salvo in what could soon become both a new space race—and a new arms race. According to reports out of Washington, both Canada and Australia have joined the US in condemning the missile attack, the first surface-to-space missile test since the Reagan-era “Star Wars” initiative. The Post, running an article from the UK’s Daily Telegraph, draws a link between the Chinese missile test and the growing confrontation between the US and Iran, pointing out that China recently inked a sixteen-billion-dollar deal to buy Iranian natural gas and develop its oil fields—the implication being that China may have a vested interest in defending Tehran.
But before all the blame is laid at China’s feet for escalating a simmering conflict, it’s worthwhile to consider the context in which China launched its missile. Last fall, the US government released a paper on its National Space Policy, in which it asserted the necessity to maintain a presence in space and defend its space-based property from attack. The report, which was opposed to the need for a ban on weapons in space, also said the US must be able to “deny, if necessary, adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to US national interests.” Shortly thereafter, the US finalized a treaty with India on sharing nuclear technologies, a deal that critics said would lead to an arms race in Asia. Given China and India’s long-time rivalry, it makes sense that a US-India deal would be seen as a threat by Beijing. It would be wise for world leaders to avoid actions that would only accelerate a new arms race when crafting a response to China’s upping of the ante. For the sake of the continued existence of the human race, let’s hope cooler heads prevail.
Maisonneuve MediaScout
January 19, 2007
