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Editor’s note: Shen Zhourong, a former aeronautical information service officer of the Air Traffic Management Office of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, is a professor at Beijing University of International Studies. The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
If there is one thing that distinguishes China’s Herculean effort in the moon expeditions from those made by the US and the former USSR, it is the China launch, which is truly executed in the name of the advancement of humanity, without the Shadow of the Cold War cloud and the urge to show off your prowess only to make other countries nervous.
The Chinese nation had always had a flame for the moon. The spaceship, Chang’e, is named after the Chinese goddess of the moon, who according to legend gained immortality and has resided on the moon since its deification. Although it may be too poetic to compare modern human attempts to understand the universe and the secret of life by going to the moon with a legend, we should in no way downplay the connotations of scientific discovery for the benefit of all.
As Chang’e-5 returns with the youngest and most sought-after lunar sample, the international community is humming with enthusiasm and aspiration to deepen its analysis, some more vocal than others.
Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, wrote: “Congratulations to China on the successful landing of Chang’e-5. This is not an easy task. When samples collected on the Moon are returned to the Earth, we hope that everyone will benefit from being able to study this precious cargo that could advance the international scientific community. “
While Zurbuchen’s wish is a true expression of goodwill, the reality may be less forgiving. NASA cannot cooperate with China in space without the approval of Congress under the Wolf Amendment. Since then, NASA has been banned from sharing information with China, while Chinese scientists have been banned from attending conferences and collaborating with American scientists.
China’s exclusionary policy has made any form of sharing and cooperation too much to wait for. If anything, the Wolf Amendment reminds us of the shameful Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which collapsed in 1943 and was amended by the United States Senate in 2012. There is no reason not to expect the Wolf Amendment to follow suit. path.
If history is any guide, America’s attempt to curb and exclude China never really worked: not with trade embargoes, and certainly not with astronautical cooperation. And China always emerged stronger from exclusion: it is now the champion of free trade and globalization and has vowed not to be the first to use an atomic bomb, casting the United States as a shadow of its former self. Now that it is banned from entering the International Space Station (ISS), China has established its own Tiangong Space Station and has every intention of opening its arms to the 17 countries that have requested to be included.
Compared to China’s aeronautics, the nation’s astronautical endeavor has long enjoyed smooth navigation and is widely acclaimed in the international astronautical community. Cooperation with China would surely be very promising, not least because the Tiangong Space Station would be the only one in space when the current ISS retires in 2024. Furthermore, the astronomical figures required to build a space station are no easy feat for any. country. . So when there is one in place, the best way to use it is by using it.
A simulated illustration of the separation of the orbiter-returner of the Chang’e-5 probe from the ascendant in lunar orbit, December 6, 2020. / CNSA
A simulated illustration of the separation of the orbiter-returner of the Chang’e-5 probe from the ascendant in lunar orbit, December 6, 2020. / CNSA
Sadly, there are always provincial minds stuck in outdated mindsets that would paint everything with politics; and subtlety was not his strength.
“Knowledge without sharing is like a bird without wings,” said a comment on Zurbuchen’s Twitter post. While they didn’t mention the accusatory tone and unfounded assumption that China blocks science, they didn’t have the decency to see the wings.
The “China Lunar Exploration Program Data Release and Information Service System” is there for any scientist to access for free, not to mention the kind gesture of an English version. Now that they know China is providing the wings, the stoic and straightforward design of the information sharing system website may end up being the next victim of the spray. To quote ancient Chinese wisdom: where there is a will to condemn, evidence will come.
On this slippery slope of double standards that is revealed over and over again, ideologies and stereotypes would be dangerously placed above fact and good faith. Contrary to what misinformed critics have suggested, China has never enacted any exclusionary act of any kind or the goal of any country, unlike the United States. It may take another decade for the United States to eliminate an ill-conceived act of exclusion, but it will take much longer for deep-seated stereotypes and fantasized antagonization to become a thing of the past.
The two countries must begin to genuinely appreciate each other and jointly allow humanity’s restless inquisitive intelligence to flourish. In this precarious world, cooperation is the only way forward, as the fight against terrorism, climate change and the pandemic suggests.
It is not China that is putting politics before science. To quote a beloved first lady: “When they go down, we go up.” And when China reaches as high as the moon, may the United States be a “us”, not as a clique of tech hegemons, but as a team in a community open to all who are willing to advance humanity.
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