The following is an excerpt from Jie Gao's article in the Jamestown Foundation's China Brief Notes. Jie is a Research Associate on Foreign Policy and National Security at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis.

Executive Summary:

• The first national-level long-term plan for space science development from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) sets the goal of becoming a global leader by 2050, by which point it aims to lead in revolutionary scientific breakthroughs, deep space missions, and by becoming the global center for space science.
• Military strategists see commercial space as an essential strategic force for future conflicts, noting the deep integration of commercial space assets in modern warfare.
• The new plan will likely serve military purposes by facilitating research on dual-use technologies, such as space weather monitoring.
• The possibility of misperception and conflict will grow as the PRC begins to narrow the gap in its space capabilities with the United States.

On October 15, 2024, the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) released its first national-level plan for long-term plan for space, setting the goal of becoming a global leader in space science by 2050 (CAS, October 16). The document, titled the Mid-to-Long Term Plan for Space Science Development (2024-2050) (国家空间科学中长期发展规划), was coauthored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; 中国科学院), the China National Space Administration (CNSA; 国家航天局), and the China Manned Space Agency (CMSE; 中国载人航天工程办公室). While it focuses on select research areas like exploring the universe for scientific purposes, the technologies required to meet those aims possess dual-use potential, which has major implications for strategic competition between the PRC and the United States.

Read the full article at the Jamestown Foundations's China Brief Notes.