China is using it new found space chops to create a sort of "space club" in Asia and Africa. I just finished launching a Nigerian satellite (which it built and financed). Now it is partnered with Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru and Thailand to develop an earth observation satellite system. An Asian space association is now in the works.
One has to wonder if China is trying to use it space power as an influence to create a kind of NATO in Southeast Asia and Africa. By bringing countries, rich in natural resources, into the information age with satellites, China is becoming leaders in that area of the world much like the US and parts of Europe are leaders in the west.
Only time will tell what this means for the rest of the world.
Enjoy your blog very much. I'm a recovering proofreader, though. When you mentioned:
ReplyDeleteI just finished launching a Nigerian satellite (which it built and financed).
. . . Hmmmm. Makes me think of email I get from Nigeria occasionally.
If the "I" was intended as "It" (referring to China) then that explains it. On the other hand, I love to see entrepreneurial plans succeed! -- John