China not in 'Space Race'

Most Western analysts attempt to understand China's space program through the lens of a Cold War "Space Race" principally about global prestige. Rather than just an arena for conquest and showing off, China seems to view space completely differently — as an environment in which to live, work, and create wealth through habitation and resource extraction.

Tianzhou 1 establishes China's independent capability

Owning such a capability means that China has acquired yet another capability deemed essential by other spacefaring powers to maintain human presence in space. While this certainly establishes China's independent capability to do what very few nations can, it is less important to see this in light of joining some club. What is more important is to understand that on China's own roadmap to be able to maintain long-term human presence and create a supply chain for space resources, yet another domino has fallen.

--by Namrata Goswami, a space expert based in India, for The Diplomat