Op-ed | China’s Success in Space Calls for Caution in Pursuing a New Treaty for Outer Space

The People’s Republic of China has gained much acclaim for its accomplishments in outer space. In the past six months alone, China has returned lunar samples to Earth, placed a spacecraft in Mars orbit, deployed the first segment of its indigenous space station and placed a rover on Mars. These feats cement China as a principal player in outer space activities and its momentum places it in a position to potentially influence the rules that will come into play in outer space in the decades to come.