China Views Space Power as Key to Counter U.S. Strength
For example, in 2000 the PRC Defense Minister said that space-power is
viewed as the key to China's planning to supplant the United States.
PLA doctrine would deny the advantages of space to the US, seeking to
leverage space for China's own advantage. This is in direct
confrontation with the recently released Rumsfeld Commission report
characterizing space as a "vital national interest" for the United
States.
As the Hong Kong newspaper Sing Tao Daily reported in January
2001, "to ensure winning in a future high-tech war, China's military
has been quietly working hard to develop asymmetrical combat
capability [sic] so that it will become capable of completely
paralyzing the enemy's fighting system when necessary by 'attacking
selected vital points' in the enemy's key areas." This correlates to
CIA Director George J. Tenet's February 2001 testimony before the
Senate Intelligence Committee that weaker foreign militaries view US
space systems as a key vulnerability during potential conflicts.
Thompson, David J. China in Space: Civillian and Military Developments. Maxwell AFB, AL: USAF Air University, August 2001. [ 4 quotes ]
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