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Space Has Become the New Frontier for China's Soft Power
Tourists watch the launch of a rocket carrying cargo craft bound for China’s Tiangong space station
Photographer: Andrea Verdelli/Bloomberg
By Bloomberg News
June 2, 2023 at 12:21 PM GMT+8
Hello, this is Allen Wan in Shanghai.
I recently journeyed by plane, (slow) train and bus deep into the Gobi desert to watch China's Long March rocket blast off from a military-controlled launch site, taking three of its astronauts to its newly completed space station. I wanted to figure out why China is seemingly opening up its space program to the outside world, at a time when it remains opaque in so many other areas.
The Shenzhou-16 spacecraft onboard the Long March-2F rocket.
Photographer: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images AsiaPac
I was one of several foreign media invited to Jiuquan, the Chinese equivalent of Cape Canaveral, minus the tourist hordes. While it was unusual to get this kind of access, we were chaperoned throughout and I was told not to take photos of certain buildings.
Billboards are plastered with Xi’s face with slogans like “Dream of Space, Dream of a Strong Military.”
No surprise the Chinese leader wants to be associated with space, rather than something like, say, soccer. Space success can also boost nationalism and give occasion for fanfare at an uncertain time for the economy.
From a troubled start in the 1990s, including a rocket that went sideways and wiped out a village, the country has been on a tremendous roll of late. It sent a craft to the far side of the moon in 2019, landed a rover on Mars in 2021 and plans to send Chinese astronauts to the moon by 2030
But what happens when you throw a party and no one comes? That's the current dilemma, as no country seems keen to put their astronauts aboard a Chinese rocket. The Europeans had hinted pre-Covid they might be interested, but they’ve since gone quiet. Now, Xi is looking elsewhere.
At the launch center, a space agency spokesman said that "emerging space powers" had signaled interest, a reference to Belt and Road countries, Xi's signature campaign to use infrastructure projects to increase Chinese influence.
Another reason why China may be looking more outward is the commoditization of rocket launches. It's not only facing competition from the US, but also smaller nations like South Korea, along with the likes of Elon Musk's SpaceX, which is turning space trips into bucket-list items.
China may be looking at the potential for space — and rocket launches in particular — as another industry it can very well dominate.
Read our story on China’s space ambitions:
Xi Charm Offensive Turns to Space as ‘Divine Craft’ Launches
Senior Communist Party officials rolled out the red carpet for the CEOs of JPMorgan Chase and Tesla, who both visited China this week, with the not so subtle undertone being that the country remains open to foreign investors despite a slew of crackdowns.
Dimon, who made his first trip to the mainland since 2019, said while over time there'll be less trade between the countries, decoupling won't happen.
Elon Musk at the 1949-duck de chine restaurant in Beijing on May 31.
Musk used his sit down with Foreign Minister Qin Gang to voice opposition to US decoupling from China, saying the interests of the two countries were intertwined, according to a government statement.
More importantly for those tired of his social media antics, Musk stopped tweeting during his visit, his longest hiatus from Twitter since June 2022.
China's homegrown aircraft made its maiden commercial flight, more than a decade after production first began. The China Eastern flight took off from Shanghai, carrying 128 passengers, and landed in Beijing.
The C919 takes off from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport.
Photographer: Future Publishing/Future Publishing
It was a long journey for manufacturer Comac, which first started developing the narrow-body airliner in 2008, with production beginning in late 2011. But it wasn’t until September 2022 when the C919 received official certification to fly.
It has its sights set on breaking up the dominance of Boeing and Airbus in commercial jetliner manufacturing.
Hainan’s capital Haikou in mid-May.
Bloomberg
Authorities in Hainan Island have poured millions of dollars into building the infrastructure necessary to achieve the goal of ending the sale of cars with internal combustion engines by 2030, and having EVs and hybrids account for 45% of the tropical island’s fleet. With more than 75,000 charging points, electric vehicle owners in urban areas are usually no more than a mile or two away from somewhere to power up their car.
Next China: Space Success
Tourists watch the launch of a rocket carrying cargo craft bound for China’s Tiangong space station
Photographer: Andrea Verdelli/Bloomberg
By Bloomberg News
June 2, 2023 at 12:21 PM GMT+8
Hello, this is Allen Wan in Shanghai.
I recently journeyed by plane, (slow) train and bus deep into the Gobi desert to watch China's Long March rocket blast off from a military-controlled launch site, taking three of its astronauts to its newly completed space station. I wanted to figure out why China is seemingly opening up its space program to the outside world, at a time when it remains opaque in so many other areas.
The Shenzhou-16 spacecraft onboard the Long March-2F rocket.
Photographer: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images AsiaPac
I was one of several foreign media invited to Jiuquan, the Chinese equivalent of Cape Canaveral, minus the tourist hordes. While it was unusual to get this kind of access, we were chaperoned throughout and I was told not to take photos of certain buildings.
Billboards are plastered with Xi’s face with slogans like “Dream of Space, Dream of a Strong Military.”
No surprise the Chinese leader wants to be associated with space, rather than something like, say, soccer. Space success can also boost nationalism and give occasion for fanfare at an uncertain time for the economy.
From a troubled start in the 1990s, including a rocket that went sideways and wiped out a village, the country has been on a tremendous roll of late. It sent a craft to the far side of the moon in 2019, landed a rover on Mars in 2021 and plans to send Chinese astronauts to the moon by 2030
But what happens when you throw a party and no one comes? That's the current dilemma, as no country seems keen to put their astronauts aboard a Chinese rocket. The Europeans had hinted pre-Covid they might be interested, but they’ve since gone quiet. Now, Xi is looking elsewhere.
At the launch center, a space agency spokesman said that "emerging space powers" had signaled interest, a reference to Belt and Road countries, Xi's signature campaign to use infrastructure projects to increase Chinese influence.
Another reason why China may be looking more outward is the commoditization of rocket launches. It's not only facing competition from the US, but also smaller nations like South Korea, along with the likes of Elon Musk's SpaceX, which is turning space trips into bucket-list items.
China may be looking at the potential for space — and rocket launches in particular — as another industry it can very well dominate.
Read our story on China’s space ambitions:
Xi Charm Offensive Turns to Space as ‘Divine Craft’ Launches
Welcome Back
Jamie Dimon and Elon Musk apparently didn't get the memo about the US and China breakup.Senior Communist Party officials rolled out the red carpet for the CEOs of JPMorgan Chase and Tesla, who both visited China this week, with the not so subtle undertone being that the country remains open to foreign investors despite a slew of crackdowns.
Dimon, who made his first trip to the mainland since 2019, said while over time there'll be less trade between the countries, decoupling won't happen.
Elon Musk at the 1949-duck de chine restaurant in Beijing on May 31.
Musk used his sit down with Foreign Minister Qin Gang to voice opposition to US decoupling from China, saying the interests of the two countries were intertwined, according to a government statement.
More importantly for those tired of his social media antics, Musk stopped tweeting during his visit, his longest hiatus from Twitter since June 2022.
Long Wait Ends
It’s been a while.China's homegrown aircraft made its maiden commercial flight, more than a decade after production first began. The China Eastern flight took off from Shanghai, carrying 128 passengers, and landed in Beijing.
The C919 takes off from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport.
Photographer: Future Publishing/Future Publishing
It was a long journey for manufacturer Comac, which first started developing the narrow-body airliner in 2008, with production beginning in late 2011. But it wasn’t until September 2022 when the C919 received official certification to fly.
It has its sights set on breaking up the dominance of Boeing and Airbus in commercial jetliner manufacturing.
Sunny Outlook for EVs
A Chinese province the size of Belgium plans to completely wean itself off fossil fuel cars by the end of the decade, providing an ambitious blueprint for the rest of the country as the government tries to keep the electric-vehicle industry motoring ahead, while reducing carbon emissions.
Hainan’s capital Haikou in mid-May.
Bloomberg
Authorities in Hainan Island have poured millions of dollars into building the infrastructure necessary to achieve the goal of ending the sale of cars with internal combustion engines by 2030, and having EVs and hybrids account for 45% of the tropical island’s fleet. With more than 75,000 charging points, electric vehicle owners in urban areas are usually no more than a mile or two away from somewhere to power up their car.
