Chinaimmediately denounced the claims as a lie.
In 2019, China became the first countryto land a spacecrafton the far side of the Moon.
That same year, China and Russia announcedjoint plansto reach the South Pole of the Moon by 2026.
And some Chinese officials andgovernment documentshave expressed intentionsto builda permanent, crewed International Lunar Research Stationby 2027.
If China tried to do this, it would risk international condemnation and a potential international retaliatory response.
China willnot be the only visitorto the South Pole of the Moon in the near future.
China has recently been using this strategyin the South and East China seas.
Still, such a strategy takes time and can be addressed.
Securing and enforcing control of strategic lunar areas would require substantial financial investments and long-term efforts.
And no country could do this without everyone noticing.
Does China have the resources and capabilities?
China is investing heavily in space.
In 2021, it led in a number of orbital launches witha total of 55compared to the U.S.s 51.
China is also in thetop threein spacecraft deployment for 2021.
Going to the Moon isexpensive; taking over the Moon would be much more so.
Chinas space budget anestimated US$13 billion in 2020 is only around half that ofNASAs.
China would risk further tarnishing its international image by breaking international law, and it may invite retaliation.
All this is for uncertain payoffs that remain to be determined.
Article bySvetla Ben-Itzhak, Assistant Professor of Space and International Relations,Air UniversityandR.
