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Aerospace: Geopolitics

Aerospace: Geopolitics
Track China’s ambitious aerospace advancements, from the home-grown commercial aircraft to space exploration, and their global impact.
Illustration: Huy Truong
US-China tech war

In Focus | China’s rocket recovery was a space race milestone. Is a relaunch within reach?

SpaceX might have a head start in reusable rockets, but Chinese commercial space companies are exploring ways to catch up in the cost-saving tech.

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China-Japan relations

Japan’s AI satellites and other space ambitions ‘a serious threat’, China warns

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China’s private sector

Can China catch SpaceX? New commercial reusable rocket takes to the skies

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United States

Trump orders creation of US ‘Space Academy’, amid rivalry with China

The institution, which will train civilian and military recruits, will be modelled on the famous military school at West Point.

US President Donald Trump departs after presenting the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to Artemis II crew members in Houston on Friday. Photo: AP
China's military weapons

Why China’s reusable rocket breakthrough matters for the PLA’s ‘kill chain’

Defence experts say breaking reusability bottleneck could give Chinese military a combat edge through rapid satellite deployment.

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China's space programme

Editorial | As the space race heats up, China’s momentum is undeniable

LandSpace’s successful recovery of the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket is a milestone that underlines China’s aerospace ambitions.

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War and conflict

Opinion | Chokepoints and the cost of cutting off access

The most dangerous chokepoint may not be the narrowest strait or rarest tech but where the final decision rests with the fewest people.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
India

India launches first private orbital rocket as space start-ups expand

Skyroot Technologies’ Vikram-1 rocket is about as tall as a seven-storey building and capable of carrying up to 350kg.

Aerospace: Policy

How is China hunting hidden space rocks that could ‘devastate a small country’?

Beijing will use ground telescopes and orbital satellites to track dangerous space rocks that currently go undetected.

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US-China relations

US National Science Foundation to ban projects with flagged Chinese institutions

Raising security fears, NSF moves from case-by-case approval to full ban on working with restricted entities and their employees.

The US National Science Foundation is moving away from Chinese collaborators that have been flagged as restricted entities by the government. Photo: Shutterstock
China’s private sector

One giant leap for the state: how China’s aerospace model differs from SpaceX

Friday’s retrieval of a rocket booster made China the second nation to master the precision recovery of an orbital-class rocket component.

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A Long March-10B carrier rocket blasts off from a commercial spacecraft launch site in Wenchang, south China’s Hainan province, on Friday. Photo: Xinhua
IPO

The new space race: how China plans to break SpaceX’s dominance with IPO push

As Beijing makes history by capturing the Long March-10B booster at sea, at least 15 aerospace firms are racing to go public on Shanghai’s Star Market or in Hong Kong.

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European Union

Opinion | EU isn’t just selling aircraft to China. It’s helping strengthen a competitor

China Eastern’s multibillion-dollar Airbus orders, after EU delays on certifying Chinese planes, show not inconsistency but leverage towards a long-term goal.

Science

Long March-10B: China’s net-capture rocket joins space race with edge on SpaceX

Soon after launch, the first stage of the rocket returned vertically and was recovered via a sea platform, state media says.

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China has succeeded in recovering the reusable rocket used in the maiden launch of the Long March-10B. Photo: Weibo/萌虎鲸
China airliners

China Eastern buys 25 A330neo widebody jets as interest rises in Airbus’ wings

Multibillion-dollar deal marks first Chinese widebody win for the planemaker since 2025, following high-level visits from Paris and Berlin.

An Airbus A330 aircraft operated by China Eastern Airlines is seen on final approach into London. Photo: Getty Images
Tiangong space station

An immersive visual guide to China’s space station

Explore the Tiangong space station and track its simulated orbit in our infographic.

Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Can Hong Kong make a giant leap to commercial space insurance?

The explosive growth of China’s commercial space business, combined with geopolitical realities, gives the city a captive market.

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US-China tech war

Who pays when rockets explode? China rushes to insure SpaceX’s rivals

Wave of Chinese insurers is underwriting rockets and satellites, turning space risk into a new front in the China-US rivalry.

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The SpaceX rocket that blew up in 2016 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photo: EPA
US-China tech war

Blocked from SpaceX IPO, Chinese investors get creative to catch a ride

Proxy stocks and supply chain speculation are among options after being locked out of what could be largest listing ever.

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China’s C919 passenger plane

China’s C919 jet poised to tackle ageing domestic fleet: industry official

High maintenance and fuel costs squeeze Chinese airlines as replacement rates lag, while Comac’s home-grown model seen as buffer against supply-chain hurdles.

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Technology

Opinion | For SpaceX, global dominance may not be written in the stars

Space is not an ordinary, commercial, open market but a strategic domain tied directly to sovereignty, security and industrial policy.

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The SpaceX Starship and super heavy booster creates sound waves as it lifts off on its 12th test flight from the SpaceX launch complex in Starbase, Texas, US, on May 22. Photo: Reuters
China’s Communist Party

China says jailed aerospace engineer was lured into spying for foreign agency

State media says accused received US$88,000 after he ‘fell step by step into the trap laid’ by an unidentified spy organisation.

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An aerospace engineer accused of leaking Chinese state secrets has been sentenced to 15 years in jail, according to CCTV. Photo: Getty Images
US-China tech war

A cloud above the clouds: US, China jockey for position in computing space race

China could be a leading player in the new technological battlefield, but the US has a substantial lead in essential tools such as reusable rockets.

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US-China relations

US lawmakers warn China is top space rival as race to the moon intensifies

Beijing is using space for ‘diplomacy and influence’, US lawmakers claim amid growing competition with Washington.

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China economy

Opinion | Engine dilemma lies at heart of successful take-off for China’s C919

Launching the aircraft with the imported LEAP-1C engine has led to bottlenecks and dependence but developing a convincing home-made engine will take time.

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A model of the Leap-1C engine by CFM International, a joint venture of America’s GE Aerospace and France’s Safran, on display at China International Import Expo in Shanghai on November 8. Photo: Frank Chen
Space

Editorial | New space race should be recognised as a marathon, not a sprint

In lieu of cooperation, perhaps friendly competition between the spacefaring superpowers can ensure exploration benefits humankind.

This handout, released by Nasa, shows Earth as it dips beyond the lunar horizon, also known as “Earthset”, as seen from the Orion spacecraft on April 6. Photo: AFP via Handout
China technology

China’s GPS rival, BeiDou, dominates at home. Now, it aims to convert the world

China is overhauling its home-grown satellite navigation system as part of a push to expand the network’s global influence.

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Science

‘Lighthouses in space’: the Chinese jam-proof satellite network to fill GPS gaps

System places powerful light sources on satellites to send coded signals for drones, self-driving cars, space missions to navigate.

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