Gonzaga Debate Institute 2011 Mercury China Coop Aff



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Coop Good – Space Race



The US must work with China in space or let China take over the space sphere altogether

Tkacik, retired U.S. diplomat, 10

(John J., was Chief of China Intelligence in the U.S. Department of State during the Clinton Administration, The Washington Times, “China space program shoots for the moon”, January 8, http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/08/china-eyes-high-ground/) PG


The atrophying U.S. space program suggests that America will be forced to cooperate with China in space, or else cede the high frontier of space to China altogether. The Pentagon is clearly alarmed by the prospect. The chief of U.S. Strategic Command, Gen. Kevin Chilton, told reporters Nov. 3, “With regard to China’s [space] capabilities, I think anyone who’s familiar with this business … would have to be absolutely amazed at the advancement that China has made in such a short period of time, whether that be in their unmanned program or the manned program.” NASA’s experts understand the capabilities, talents - and intentions - of their Chinese counterparts perhaps better than anyone outside China and Russia. China’s Long March V rockets are in development now; Russian space scientists now aid their Chinese counterparts in perfecting the Shenzhou class of manned vehicles - closely modeled on the rugged, tried-and-true Soyuz; China has also purchased Russia’s spacesuit designs and the KURS and APAS rendezvous and docking systems. In contrast, NASA has resigned itself to the realities that America’s space shuttles will be decommissioned by 2010 and, while the test-launch of the Ares 1-X heavy lift booster was successful, the follow-on Constellation manned program does not have a budget that will get it off the blueprint tables. Nor is NASA staffed with the scientists needed to support it. The median age of NASA’s manned space engineers is now over 55. Over a quarter are past retirement age. Meanwhile, China’s average lunar probe engineer is about 33 years old and the Shenzhou manned-space program engineers average about 36.

Coop Good – Space Tensions



China’s international space program is starting to take off – now is the key time to strengthen relations

Laxman, journalist who specializes in space exploration: tech and procedures, 11 (Srinivas, “China’s Space Mission: The Long March To The Moon And Mars”, Asian Scientist, 6/27/11, http://www.asianscientist.com/features/chinas-space-mission-moon-mars/, accessed 6/30/11, CW)
AsianScientist (Jun. 27, 2011) – On the 50th anniversary of the first human space flight by Yuri Gagarin, the Chinese government made an announcement which was extremely appropriate for the occasion: it will launch its own space station. This project was already on the cards, but it was formally confirmed during the 50th anniversary celebrations. Called Tiangong (天宫) or Heavenly Palace, the 60-ton space station will be constructed in orbit from a series of modules launched over the next few years. After the initial trials in docking and rendezvous, it will be manned by a three-man crew. The present International Space Station (ISS) weighs 419 tons and generally has a six-man crew or more. For quite some time, the US has been trying its best to include China in the ISS program, but the Chinese response has been lukewarm. The Chinese space station program envisages two spacecraft – Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 – being launched in 2012, which will dock with the Tiangong-1 module. The Chinese have invited scientists from all over the world to participate in the project, and speculation is rife that a Pakistani scientist could perhaps be one of the earliest guests. Apart from the scientific significance, space scientists feel that the Chinese space station project is endowed with a lot of political and geopolitical ramifications, and is being viewed as a clear challenge to US dominance in space.

Cooperation with China is key – lack of understanding incentivizes strike

Hitchens and Chen 8

(Theresa, Center for Defense Information, World Security Institute and David, CENTRA Technology, Inc, “Forging a Sino-US ‘‘grand bargain’’ in space” Space Policy 24 (2008) pg. 128–131, Available Online at Sciencedirect.com, Accessed June 28, 2011, EJONES)


Nevertheless, without an agreed upon understanding, the incentive to strike at what many Chinese strategists consider the Achilles’ heel of the US military machine is likely to remain a dominant consideration in China’s space strategy. Clearly, China’s leaders are driven by the strategic imperative to protect and project national sovereignty. This motivation has resulted in the Shenzhou manned spaceflight program and the Chang-e lunar probe mission, as well as the formation of cooperative associations such as the Asia–Pacific Space Cooperation Organization. An important dividend of these programs is the promotion of China’s national prestige, both domestically and abroad. As the defenders of China’s sovereignty and international image, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) relies on such programs as a bulwark for the regime’s claim to legitimacy. Yet, even as the CCP stokes nationalistic zeal, it fears losing control of its citizens, making constructive outlets for nationalism, such as can be offered through international space cooperation, of vital importance. The next US president must recognize these incentives in the regime’s calculus, and leverage them as key points for agreeing on limits to the nascent space arms race.


Coop Good – Space Tensions




Cooperation serves as the best method to curb Chinese aggression

Pollpeter, specialist on China policy, 8

(Kevin, specialist on China policy and former member of the RAND think tank, “BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE: CHINA’S PROGRESS IN SPACE TECHNOLOGY DURING THE TENTH 5-YEAR PLAN AND THE U.S. RESPONSE,” March 2008, http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/pub852.pdf, Jskoog)


The rise of China as a space power also raises the question of whether the United States should cooperate with China in space. The difficulty in deciding an appropriate response arises from the inability of both sides to determine whether their relationship will be friendly or hostile. Nevertheless, the United States is presented with four policy options to meet the changing dynamics presented by China’s space program: contain, compete, cooperate, and do nothing. Containment is the least viable of the four options, and as China becomes more integrated with the world, it will become even less practical. Competition may also be problematic. U.S.-China relations may be ambivalent, but extensive cooperation does take place in many araeas, and it is not apparent how defining China as a competitor in a space race will further relations. It is also not apparent whether the American public will support a race which will require additional funding with little short-term gain. Cooperation, on the other hand, has the potential to increase transparency and trust and to lessen competitive aspects that may lead to armed conflict. A policy that treats China as a friend, however, has its own shortcomings. Because China’s strategy is designed x to further its own national interests and because its interests are often not aligned with U.S. interests, it is unlikely that assisting China in increasing its space power may eliminate these differences and may, in fact, exacerbate them.
Cooperation would allow for a better understanding of China’s space policies

Logan, Specialist in energy policy, Congressional Research Service 9-29-08

(Jeffrey has a M.S. in environmental science and Master in Public Administration,1995, Indiana University, School of Public and Environmental Affairs B.S. in aerospace engineering and B.A. in general arts and sciences, 1985, Pennsylvania State University http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RS22777.pdf “China’s Space Program: Options for U.S.-China Cooperation,” pg. 6, accessed: 6-28-11) TJL


Improved transparency. Regular meetings could help the two nations understand each others’ intentions more clearly. Currently, there is mutual uncertainty and mistrust over space goals, resulting in the need for worst-case planning.

Space diplomacy will reduce competition between the US and China

Hitchens, Director of World Security Institute’s Center for Defense, 2007

(Theresa, “U.S.-Sino Relations in Space: From ‘War of Words’ to Cold War in Space?” China Security, p. 13-14, Winter, http://www.chinasecurity.us/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=186, Accessed June 30, 2011, NS)


Staving Off an ASAT Race Given that the United States and China now seem poised at the precipice of a dangerous competition to develop and deploy ASATs and other counter- space capabilities – a competition that threatens to draw in other players are well – what are the options for the wider international community in attempting to prevent Washington and Beijing from falling over the edge? The unfortunate truth is that there are not many, beyond continued diplomatic efforts to encourage both sides to tread more carefully. That said, those nations and international institutions committed to a weapons-free space environment should not throw up their hands in despair, but rather work together to reconsider how to push forward a collective space security agenda that can serve mutual interests rather than fan competition.




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