General Kevin Chilton of the Pentagon Strategic Command says that it is high time for America to initiate more meaningful talks with China and try to understand what it is planning for its space program. So far, little has been heard from the Obama administration in regard to whether or not it is a threat to the United States.
Intelligence units dedicated to China have been astounded by the pace at which that country is developing its space program. They point to how far China has come in the race to space during the last ten years.
China's People's Liberation Army Air Force Commander Xu Qiliang stated in a news interview that the air force of China will definitely develop and deploy offensive and defensive weapons in orbit. This is a cause for alarm among China watchers as a space weaponized China could become a more formidable opponent than a nuclear equipped China. Xu Qiliang has always been quoted as saying that
"Only power can protect peace. In the interview with the state news agency, Xinhau, in early November, he spoke about a "Great Wall of Steel in the blue sky."
XU Qiliang went on to say
"Competition between military forces is shifting to space, military force is expanding ceaselessly in the direction of space. This shift is a strong trend, this expansion is natural, this development cannot be reversed. Control of space equals control of the ground, oceans and electro-magnetic spheres, it means taking the strategic initiative. Not only major air forces are raising competitiveness, developing country forces are too."
China has already taken steps toward that end in sending three astronauts into orbit where they completed a set of spacewalks and also by launching a first lunar probe that completed its moon testing in October 2008.
According to an article in Reuters on November 5, 2009, a space race between Asia's major and emerging powers has been building as China, Japan and India all launched unmanned Moon missions since 2007 and are now harboring plans for manned lunar expeditions.
How important is China's expansion into space a threat to the United States and is the Obama administration taking it seriously?
Comments
Part of China's amazing space build up can be directly attributed to the greed of other countries. China learned a lot of classified information on rocket guidance technology from the US. It was illegally delivered to China with help from our White House and certain US high tech firms. Loral, and it’s CEO Bernard Schwartz came under fire for this delivery, we were told that it was simply to be used for a little light weight telephone communications system so don’t worry. China later used the technology along with the MIRV capabilities (also illegally obtained) when they launched satellites for Iridium. That same guidance technology can now be used to accurately deliver rockets to the USA lowering the yield necessary to destroy a target. They can also deliver multiple warheads or one warhead with multiple decoys using the MIRV technology. All of this happened because China could undercut the cost of satellite launches for greedy companies.
China should do whatever it can to strengthen its military. Peace is not cheap.
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