China’s Ministry of State Security urges crackdown on space espionage
China's Ministry of State Security warned Thursday that as great-power rivalry rapidly extends into outer space - with nations racing to develop and exploit space assets and some openly advocating space hegemony and an arms race - it will, in accordance with the law, severely punish any infiltration, espionage or sabotage targeting China's key space technologies and data, forging a robust security shield for the country's ambition to become a leading spacefaring nation.
The article reviewed the rapid developments of China's astronaut career from satellites delivering communications, navigation, remote sensing and other services across near-Earth orbit, to spacecraft and space stations chasing dreams in the cosmos; from the Chang'e lunar missions to Zhurong's Martian exploration and Xihe's solar probe, the Chinese have left solid footprints throughout the vastness of space.
The article noted that low Earth orbit has become a finite, non-renewable strategic resource vital to national development. As launch rates climb and orbital traffic intensifies, low Earth orbit grows ever more crowded, underscoring the urgent need for a binding international framework to safeguard space security.
Outer space is the common heritage of humankind, and its exploration, development, and peaceful use are shared aspirations of all humanity. China has always upheld the view that space endeavors belong to everyone, adhering to the principles of peace, respect for sovereignty, universal benefit, and co-governance. It advocates transforming space into a new domain of cooperation rather than an arena of competition, said the ministry.
The national security authorities will fully implement the holistic national security concept and, in accordance with the law, severely punish infiltration, espionage and sabotage targeting our space sector's critical technologies and data, thereby forging a robust security shield for building a strong spacefaring nation, according to the ministry.