China: US Imposes 'Obstacles' to Sharing Historic Moon Samples With NASA

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Jul 02, 2024

Image copyright: Kevin Frayer/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Imagesstory last updated Jul 03

The Facts

After China's Chang'e-6 lunar mission became the first to return rocks and soil from the far side of the moon back to Earth in June, NASA administrator Bill Nelson told CNN on Monday that the China National Space Administration (CNSA) "intends to share" access to them with the international community.
This comes after the CNSA vice-administrator said on Thursday that the US has imposed "obstacles" to space cooperation that would prevent American scientists from taking part in studies of the material, calling for their rescinding.

The Spin

Pro-China narrative

The US has itself to blame for its exclusion from this historic moon mission. The US government and media assume a hidden malicious intent behind every Chinese action, which is behind their lack of recognition or support for China's first-of-its-kind mission. Cooperation is a two-way street, and the US should repeal the Wolf Amendment to take part in China's ascendant space program and orient space exploration for the good of humanity instead of engaging in petty geopolitics.

Eurasia Review

Anti-China narrative

China is trying to foment a "space race" narrative to score political points by spurning the US. The fact of the matter is that the US remains the dominant space superpower and trumps every other country in all relevant metrics in this field. What's more, China struggles to find international partners while the US is bolstered by a broad base of global support. China would benefit greatly from US support, but not the other way around, as they play games with such a historic mission.