China-Russia technology cooperation in space: Mutually needed or mutually exclusive?

Abstract

As far as space technology cooperation is concerned, China and Russia took the Ukraine crisis in 2014 as the dividing line. The content and methods of cooperation between the two countries have undergone significant changes, making the cooperation from simple to complicated. Meanwhile, the space technology cooperation between China and Russia will definitely shape the structure of power in space geopolitics among China and Russia and US, which helps to create a balance of power and prevent the emergence of a Kindleberger trap in space geopolitics, but to a certain extent, will in turn restrict China-Russia space technology cooperation and have an important impact on China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination. The deepening of space technology cooperation between China and Russia may increasingly show the nature of power competition in space geopolitics.

Keywords:

• China
• Russia
• space cooperation
• astropolitik
• power of balance
• Kindleberger trap

Acknowledgments

I am grateful for the valuable research assistance provided by Guoyu Wang, a professor in Beijing Institute of Technology, and the two anonymous reviewers and editors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 In response to U.S. sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, Roscosmos leader Dmitry Rogozin said Russia would no longer sell engines to the United States. But perhaps this is just a threat. Russia needs the money, so it may continue to sell engines to the U.S. In 2014, Rogozin also said Russia banned engine sales to the U.S., but did not enforce it because Russia needed the money. See Sarwat Nasir, “From trampolines to broomsticks: Russian space chief reacts to US sanctions,” https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2022/03/04/from-trampolines-to-broomsticks-russian-space-chief-reacts-to-us-sanctions/

2 Now Nord Stream 2 pipeline builder files for insolvency and leaves staff redundant, https://en.mercopress.com/2022/03/02/nord-stream-2-pipeline-builder-files-for-insolvency-and-leaves-staff-redundant

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Qisong He

Qisong He is a professor at the School of Political Science and Public Administration, the East China University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai, China. He obtained his PhD in history from Fudan University. His research interests include space security and cyberspace security. He can be reached at [email protected].