China prepares to claim ownership of the moon, NASA Chief Sen Bill Nelso

Washington: ‘It is a fact: we’re in a space race. And it is true that we better watch out that they don’t get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research. And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, ‘Keep out, we’re here, this is our territory,’ warned Bill Nelson, Chief of the US space agency NASA. Last month, China announced it was operating a new space station in space. Against this background, Nelson’s warning becomes noteworthy.

The United States Office of the Director of National Intelligence released an extensive report on China’s space activities in 2021. The US report warns that militarizing space has been the Chinese PLA’s plan. It has been a part of China’s plan to challenge the US’s dominance in space technology and to gain an edge over the United States. It further states that between 2022 and 2024, China will build a space station in Earth’s orbit, which could be used to militarize space and reduce US influence.

In an interview given to the website Politico, Nelson drew attention to the growing threat of China. NASA Chief warned that China could claim various parts immediately after landing on the moon. He added that the same policy the Chinese Communist regime used on Earth could be repeated in space. The Chief of NASA made it aware through Chinese activities that China had occupied the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea by asserting its claim to them.

China has carried out aggressive missions in space in the last few years and has planned to set up a base on the moon by 2035. Several US officials have also warned in this regard. Moreover, China has been rapidly deploying systems with multiple capabilities in space. By the end of this decade, China will be the leading power in the space sector, said General David Thompson, a senior officer of the US Space Force, a few months ago. Besides, China announced increasing its space cooperation with Russia last week.

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