| ID | 111631 |
| Title Proper | How plausible is Chinese annexation of territory on the moon? |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Hickman, John |
| Publication | 2012. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article argues that a hypothetical decision by the People's Republic of China to assert territorial sovereignty over the area surrounding its planned manned Moon base is plausible. Enhanced international prestige in the near term and access to natural resources and strategic military positions in the long term may be sufficient temptations for China's leaders to challenge the United States to a twenty-first century space race. Strategic surprise could be successfully employed, given the opacity of Chinese decision-making; the conceptual blindness of external observers, including decision-makers, analysts, and academics; and China's repeatedly demonstrated capacity for executing military or diplomatic surprises of comparable magnitude. The ability of signatory states to withdraw from the 1967 Outer Space Treaty with one-year's notice means that international law only poses a temporary obstacle to such a decision. A manned Moon base would fulfill the condition of effective occupation necessary for territorial sovereignty under international law. An international relations constructivist approach discourages consideration of the advantages to states of territorial aggrandizement or the weakness of international law in restraining the behavior of states. |
| `In' analytical Note | Astropolitics Vol. 10, No.1; Jan-Apr 2012: p.84-92 |
| Journal Source | Astropolitics Vol. 10, No.1; Jan-Apr 2012: p.84-92 |
| Key Words | China ; Territorial Sovereignty ; United States ; Space Race ; International Law |