Chinese scholar Shen Dingli and Indian scholar Bharath Gopalaswamy joined moderator Kevin Pollpeter for a discussion of developments on the final frontier and how they affect relations between their respective countries. Panelists discussed the ways that space opens the door to both competition and cooperation between nations.
Competition
- Independent Power, Independent System: Both authors emphasized that their countries have a reasonable right to establish their own satellite networks for telecommunication and global positioning services. No country, they argued, should be forced to be dependent on another for such information.
- Weaponization: Both authors similarly affirmed that their countries are not interested in launching a new arms race in space. However, both Shen and Gopalaswamy discussed China’s recent expansion of its anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, with Shen cautiously hoping that China is backing away from the program and Gopalaswamy warning that any additional testing will a prompt response from India.
- Deterrence: Shen made it clear that even in the case of ASAT development China’s interest in weaponizing space has been in the pursuit of deterrence, noting that employing such capabilities offensively would be “suicidal.”
- Resource Allocation: Pollpeter noted that one of the major challenges confronting the future of space relations is managing the limited amount of orbital space available.
Cooperation
- Space Situational Awareness: Addressing the prospects for cooperation in space, Gopalaswamy pointed to the need for greater Space Situational Awareness, such as monitoring for near-earth objects and dangerous debris, as a potential arena for joint efforts between India, China, and others.
- Toward an International Code of Conduct? Shen and Gopalaswamy indicated that China and India would both need to be involved in any efforts to develop an international code of conduct aimed at reducing the potential areas of friction between countries in space.