On September 7, 2023, my colleague Jan Železný and I had the great honor of presenting our new research on the topic of Sino-Russian cooperation in Outer Space at the annual conference of the British Association for Chinese Studies (BACS) at King’s College in London. After a 15-minute presentation, the conference allowed us to discuss our research findings with a broad academic audience and explore potential developments in our research.
Specifically, our research aims to determine the essence of Sino-Russian cooperation in Outer Space and how it can be understood within the framework of China’s and Russia’s strategic partnership in the era of great power competition. Recent events surrounding the endeavors of various nations in space, including the Indian and Russian moon missions in August 2023, occurring at increasingly shorter intervals, highlight the importance of gaining a better understanding of the collaboration among different actors and nations in Outer Space.
China and Russia are key players in the rush to explore space, and their official alignment within an “unlimited partnership,” as well as explicitly in space, raises many questions, especially in the context of growing geopolitical tensions. With the shifting of the great power competition from Earth to Outer Space, it is particularly relevant to be able to better contextualize the strategic backgrounds of multinational and global space partnerships. The timeliness of the topic and the limited coverage in previous research make it imperative to take a closer scientific look at this subject.
Here is a brief summary of our paper on the topic:
Chase for the Red Stars: China-Russia Synergy in Outer Space and Its Impact on Global Power Competition in the 21st Century
Space has become a new domain of great power competition rather than a common heritage of mankind. After the end of the bipolar confrontation, Washington has emerged as an uncontested unipolar power, however, its dominance is being challenged by China. Outer space is seen as strategically important for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and portrayed as an indispensable part of Beijing’s vision of mankind as a global community of shared destiny. It provides strategic assurance for social development and the preservation of core interests. To strengthen its position and leverage synergies, Beijing has developed cooperation with Moscow. Russia still maintains a robust spectrum of Soviet-era capabilities and know-how, remains a global leader in space affairs, and shares efforts to lessen US influence and transform the international order into a multipolar one. The connection of the BeiDou and Glonass navigation systems (2018), the building of the space-based missile warning capabilities, joint motions to limit space-militarization, or the ambitious plans (2021) to launch the International Lunar Research Station (Chang’e + Luna program) demonstrate the joint results. As part of the partnership ‘without limits’, they constitute a potential game-changer in the dynamics of power competition in outer space. Our paper will, therefore, map the development of the Sino-Russian space cooperation, address its strong and weak points, present its most significant highlights, and describe its impact on the security dilemma with the risks of a relentless race between great powers turning space into a war-fighting domain.
Apart from a paper we are currently working on, there are additional future follow-up projects planned on the subject. We welcome possible collaborations with colleagues from various fields – a topic like this should ideally be examined as comprehensively and interdisciplinarily as possible.
If you have any questions about the project, please feel free to contact us anytime via email (see below).
And some impressions from the BACS conference in London in September 2023 – we hope to be able to attend the next BACS conference and continue the exchange!
Jan Železný is a Ph.D. student of International Relations at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (Czech Republic). He conducts research on the formation and change in the international order with special attention to the U.S.-China power rivalry in the Indo-Pacific, Sino-Russian cooperation in the Arctic and space, and the issues of global political economy. He also works as a foreign policy special advisor in the Chamber of Deputies (a lower house of the Czech Parliament). His political comments and articles can be found on the Info.cz magazine website.
Email: [email protected]
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0592-4275
X: @zelezny89jan Facebook: Jan Železný – komentáře Info.cz profile: https://www.info.cz/autori/jan-zelezny
Timna Michlmayr is a doctoral candidate at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Vienna (Austria). Her research is concerned with fiscal politics and the political economy of local government debt in China. Other research interests include China’s role in global governance and space politics.
X: @m_timna
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3696-5678
Facebook: www.facebook.com/timna.michlmayr