Sino-American Space Communique Coming?

Chinese President Hu Jintao, who is expected to step down as president and general secretary of China's Communist Party in 2012, arrives on Tuesday in Washington for his first and last state visit with the full pomp of a 21-gun salute and a black-tie dinner at the Obama White House. The official state visit has been billed as the most important by a foreign leader to the United States in thirty years.

During United States President Obama's visit with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing in 2009, there were discussions and a diplomatic communique on space relations between the two nations. Nonetheless, there have yet to be visual progress made by US NASA Administrator Charles Bolden or US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates with their Chinese counter-parts.

No measurable progress has been made on joint space missions, access by the Chinese to the International Space Station, or protocols for in-space rescue missions between the US and China or among the three human space flying nations. Meanwhile, there have been issues raised about the Chinese J-20, or so called 'Black Bear' stealth fighter jet.

The extent of outer space relations within the expected diplomatic communique coming from President Hu's visit to Washington will be closely watched by those who have interest in Sino-American space technology relationships, especially as the Sino-Russian space relationship expands in 2011.

The January 18-21 trip schedule for President Hu not only includes a state dinner at the White House on Wednesday evening, but talks with US lawmakers and a stop in the Midwestern city of Chicago prior to his US departure.