A Geotechnological Balancer: The Emerging China-EU Space Axis
- Paper number
IAC-05-E3.1.03
- Author
Dr. Joan Johnson-Freese, National Security Decision Making Dept., United States
- Year
2005
- Abstract
Techno-nationalism is the idea that technological strength is a strong determinant of national power in a harshly competitive world. It is the twenty-first century equivalent of earlier developmental nationalism, which stemmed from a colonial history of subjugation that left many populations willing to accept national discipline geared to producing independent national power. While even China is not governed by a single guiding ideology today, the increasing salience of space and other advanced technologies is bringing techno-nationalism to the fore as a useful framework for understanding the motivations of developing great powers such as China.
If technology has replaced political alignment as the largest international system variable, then this century’s analogue to geopolitical competition is geotechnological maneuvering. That being the case, growing Sino-European cooperation—particularly in space—can be explained by the respective great powers’ strategic interests in (1) maximizing their respective economic positions vis-à-vis competitors such as America and Japan and (2) balancing against preponderant American power. As of May 1, 2004, the EU overtook Japan as China’s largest trading partner. China has imported over $75 billion in technology from Europe, more than from any other source. Sino-EU trade is already three times of that with Russia.
China’s technological cooperation with Europe is part of a larger strategy to prioritize "science and technology diplomacy" over "economic diplomacy". From Beijing’s viewpoint, this prioritization is part of a larger process in which the boundary between the "high politics" of military and technology and the "low politics" of trade is blurring, thereby increasing the importance of a nation’s capacity for technological innovation. From Beijing’s viewpoint, this prioritization is part of a larger process in which the boundary between the "high politics" of military/technology and the "low politics" of trade is blurring, thereby increasing the importance of a nation’s capacity for technological innovation. A prime example is the European GALILEO observation satellite network project training center, in which China has a 5% investment. The GALILEO program will launch 34 satellites on European Ariane and Chinese Long March rockets. Sino-European cooperation facilitates China’s progress in national science and technology initiatives, such as the 863 Program of technological development and the 973 Plan emphasizing theoretical science, and Project 921, their manned space program.
Today China looks to Europe for aerospace expertise that would be difficult to obtain legally from America, due to politically charged export restrictions. The University of Surrey, for example, is a world-renowned microsatellite R&D center that has countries and organizations including, the U.S. Air Force, Algeria, Turkey, the European Space Agency, Nigeria, and Tsinghua University in China. It will continue to be available whether or not the 1989 Tiananmen-imposed EU arms embargo is lifted in the near future. Already China has collaborated with Surrey to develop the highly successful Hangtian Qinghua -1 and –2 microsatellites and constellation satellite China DMC+4. China has also collaborated with the European Space Agency (ESA) in developing the Doublestar Equator {DSP-E} and Doublestar Polar {DSP-P} small satellites. China’s Sinosat-2 communications satellite, to be launched in early 2005, was manufactured in Europe. In the near future, Chinese and German scientists will launch a $60 million solar telescope to conduct research intended to reduce radiation risks to space-based platforms.
China still values American trade and technology and would likely be interested in expanding cooperation in space, but Europe is a more amenable partner. While European players do sometimes nettle China’s leadership by attempting to engage in economic protectionism and to "softly" encourage human rights reforms, Europe is clearly poised to make a major contribution to China’s rise in space and its corresponding rise on Earth.
This paper will assess the growing China-EU space axis and its implications for international space cooperation and competition.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-05-E3.1.03.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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