China’s New Frontier: Leveraging Dual-Use Technologies to Advance the Space Race
Our research at Oxford Space Initiative is an attempt to frame the extent to which China leverages dual-use technologies to strengthen its position in the global space race.
It is obvious that space is gradually becoming a new era of competition. From the internet to GPS, agricultural production forecasting to daily communication, space technologies have a lot to offer for the betterment of daily life, as well as improvement and efficiency of economic activities. On the other hand, the space domain is also considered crucial for the military industry and competitiveness. Space technologies gradually attract more and more interest from the military sector as they offer several vital capabilities like earth observation, monitoring, surveillance, tracking, and signalling. Fast-developing space technologies require big powers to have a skin in the game and keep up with the latest advancements. A strong presence and capabilities in the space industry are indispensable for any country in the pursuit of superiority in the global arena.
With all this in mind, the so-called global north now has a formidable and powerful competitor in the global space race: China.
Our current research at Oxford Space Initiative is an attempt to frame the extent to which China leverages dual-use technologies to strengthen its position in the global space race.
The term dual use refers to technologies that can be used both for civilian and military purposes. Especially in the military industry, several technologies can be used both for civilian and military purposes. A satellite, for example, can be used both for monitoring agricultural production and military sites.
For instance, China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) is used both for civilian and military purposes. China’s BeiDou is considered a major rival to US’s Global Positioning System (GPS), achieving full global coverage in 2020.
Given this background, in our report, we particularly examine the following questions:
1. What are the primary strategic motivations that drive China’s implementation of the dual-use in its space technology development?
2. How does the Chinese government leverage organizational structures and policies to integrate private sector participation and military expertise into dual-use space programs?
3. Which specific technologies or space systems are particularly important for dual use in the Chinese space sector? What are the strategies that China implements to support these specific technologies?
4. How is China leveraging dual-use-space initiatives globally to support key external strategies like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the expansion of China’s international influence?
5. Despite the rapid advancement fostered by Military Civil Fusion and Dual Use, what key technological and operational deficiencies indicate a gap between China’s space capabilities and those of established space powers like the United States?
We will continue to publish blog posts addressing the questions mentioned above.
Stay tuned!