Chinese-US Space Cooperation at Standstill

Writing at The Epoch Times, Matthew Robertson provides readers with an excellent overview of the current relations between the Chinese and United States space programs, or the lack thereof. The article outlines a provision placed into the federal budget by Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Va.) prohibiting all cooperation between the two governments with regard to space.

Some months ago, this blogger recommended a space policy proposal to the northern Virginia member of the Congress suggesting a course of US-Chinese relations that would benefit all the 'envoys of mankind' in the future. There is still the opportunity to accept the idea and advance a mutually beneficial bilateral space policy in 2012.

It appears to be of growing political importance in Washington that the Chinese start a civilian and commercial space programs to interface with the United States in space. The military face of the Chinese space program and the risk of technology transfer has policy currency in the more conservative US House of Representatives, as evident in the federal budget provision.

The Chinese are expected to launch a mini-space station late this year and perform automated docking procedures followed by orbiting human space crews in 2012, among them the first Chinese female.