Planners in China’s military are looking seriously at how the next war may be fought—and won—in orbit. In recent years, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has invested much effort into space-based military infrastructure and weapons and has redefined its strategic policy to reflect these new capabilities.
China’s space ambitions are heavily publicized by state-run media. The terms “spaceflight dream” or “space dream” are used in conjunction with the more general “Chinese dream” and “great power dream.”
Typically, the Chinese regime keeps its military designs on space low-key. In September 2008—a year following China’s first successful anti-satellite missile test—PLA Gen. Xiong Guangkai claimed that China was firmly opposed to the militarization of space.
Xiong may have to eat his words. In an opinion article published March 12 in China National Defense News, an official military publication, space would become a “major theatre of operations,” mastery over which would be essential for achieving victory.
