On Thursday China landed a robotic spacecraft called Chang’e 4 on the far side of the Moon in a space exploration world first, touching down at 10.26am local time (2.26am GMT), according to Chinese state media.
Of the Moon landing, Professor Hou Xiyun of Nanjing University said: “On the whole, China’s space technology still lags behind the West, but with the landing on the far side of the Moon, we have raced to the front.”
In response to the moon landing, and in the face of growing Chinese dominance in outer space, some experts are questioning Beijing’s nefarious intentions.
The Pentagon warned earlier this year China’s ambitious space programme was part of Chinese military plans to make space “central to modern warfare”.
Bob Walker, the space sdviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, told The Sunday Telegraph: “It’s part of a more total Chinese effort.
“This is an indication China has the capability to use the moon for military matters.
“If you look at what they’re doing in the South China Sea.
“There are a number of elements to what the People’s Liberation Army is doing in terms of aggressive military policy but space is a very big one.”
Meanwhile, senior research fellow and China expert at the Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington, Dean Cheng, pointed out how in “In some ways” the US has fallen behind China.