Chinese Space Program: Sun Tzu or Apollo Redux?

The Freeman Chair hosted Dr. Joan Johnson-Freese, Chair of the Department of National Security Studies at the Naval War College. The presentation was moderated by Dr. Derek Mitchell, Senior Fellow in the CSIS International Security Program.

Program Summary

Sun Tzu’s adage of “bearing down on the enemy” seems to encapsulate the current approaches of both the United States and China to their space programs. China does not have to be an enemy of the United States, but it is certainly destined to be a competitor, if the United States continues to exploit the obvious militarily advantages of space, which it must, and China feels compelled to respond, which it does.  Included in China’s current efforts is an ambitious manned program. A taikonaut launch will make China only the third country to have a manned space capability, a fact that garners prestige and legitimacy domestically, regionally and internationally. This presentation will examine what China is doing in its "Great Leap Upward", and why.

Biography

Dr. Joan Johnson-Freese became Chair, Department of National Security Studies, at the Naval War College in August 2002. Prior to that, she was Chair of the Transnational Studies Department at the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii and a faculty member at the Air War College. Dr. Johnson-Freese has focused her research and writing on technology and space programs and policies, including issues relating to technology transfer and export, missile defense, transparency, space and regional development, transformation, and globalization. Her most recent book publications include: The Chinese Space Program: A Mystery Within a Maze, 1998. She has published over 70 journal articles and is currently working on a book concerning U.S. export control regulations subsequent to the Cox Committee Report, and the ramifications regarding US national security.