If Chinese officials have their way, this Year of the Monkey will also be the Year of the Moon. Late last year China announced ambitious plans to send more astronauts into space, launch a Moon probe, and eventually land on the Moon by 2010. That’s five years before any American is expected to return there, according to recent announcements by President Bush.
Time was, America and the Soviet Union were the only nations duking it out for intergalactic dominance. America won that round of the space race, but today, it’s more than just bragging rights at stake. America’s military supremacy on earth depends on its presence in space, and confronted with the cosmic calculations of the Chinese, the U.S. has two choices: block those efforts outright, or cooperate.
Guests:
Adam Segal. He is an expert on technology and development in China and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations
John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org
John Tkacik, served as the State Department’s Chief of China Analysis under President Bush senior, and is currently a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation.