NASA "China May Seize Lunar Territory and Expel US Afterwards"

"US-China Space Hegemony Competition to Accelerate"

On November 16 last year (local time), a rocket for NASA's unmanned lunar exploration program 'Artemis I' was launched from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA. Photo by AP News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] As the lunar exploration competition between the United States and China intensifies, a warning has emerged that China may attempt to expel the U.S. after securing resource-rich areas on the moon.

On the 1st (local time), Bill Nelson, Administrator of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), said in an interview with the U.S. political media outlet Politico, "It is true that we are in a space race." He is a politician who served as a soldier in the Vietnam War, later became a senator from Florida, and was appointed NASA Administrator under the Joe Biden administration.

Administrator Nelson predicted that the competition between the U.S. and China over the moon will be decided within the next two years as to who will gain the upper hand. He said, "We need to be careful that (China) does not occupy any location under the guise of scientific research on the moon," adding, "It is not impossible for them to say, 'This is our territory, do not enter here.'"

Nelson cited China’s actions surrounding the South China Sea as the basis for his claim. He said, "If you doubt this, look at what they have done in the Spratly Islands (Chinese name Nansha, Vietnamese name Truong Sa, Philippine name Kalayaan)." The Spratly Islands are claimed by China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Vietnam. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruled that China’s claim to the South China Sea as its territorial waters had no basis under international law, but China has recently been militarizing the area by constructing artificial islands.

China, which is conducting the lunar exploration program "Chang'e" (嫦娥), aims to build a lunar base at the moon’s south pole after 2030. Next year, it plans to launch Chang'e 6 and 7 to explore the lunar south pole, and as early as 2027, it plans to launch Chang'e 8 to conduct structural tests for lunar base construction.