The United States Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Robert G. Joseph, gave a speech on January 11, 2007, regarding the new National Space Policy. On the same day, as the intelligence community indicated, China carried out its first successful anti-satellite weapons test. This is not a Hollywood-style dramatic coincidence; it is real competition in the international security arena. 

Mr. Joseph had previously given a speech about the new National Space Policy on December 13, 2006. The contents of that speech are almost identical to those of the one he gave on January 11, 2007. To make a repetitive speech within one month is not a sign of amnesia, however. 

Communist China owns an anti-satellite weapon now, and is playing the prelude to its military deterrence in outer space.

In the past, the United States and Russia (and its predecessor, the Soviet Union) have had anti-satellite weapons. For more than twenty years, however, neither of the two countries (including the former Soviet Union) has carried out any anti-satellite weapons test. The recent Chinese anti-satellite weapons test is an expansion of militarization to outer space. 

A modern military, modern communications, modern transportation and modern commerce cannot run without support from space systems. The backbone of these systems is satellites. Both reconnaissance and mobile phones depend on satellites. Now that China has some anti-satellite weapons, its capacity for military deterrence is elevated. Anti-satellite weapons can be used not only to target military satellites, but also civilian satellites. Therefore, not only can it achieve military objectives, it can also paralyze the normal functioning of a modern economy and modern life. 

During his speech on January 11, Under Secretary of State Joseph repeatedly pointed out, ��A relatively small number of countries are exploring and acquiring capabilities to counter, attack, and defeat U.S. space systems."
 
Within the first half month of the New Year, China has repeatedly shown off its military advances. First, it was heavily promoting the new generation of fighters. Then it announced publicly its ability to build aircraft carriers. Now, it has advanced to carrying out an anti-satellite weapons test. It appears that communist China is urgently informing the United States that China is not a paper tiger but a real tiger. It is not just an economic tiger, but it is also becoming a military tiger. The goal for China in sending these signals is to elevate its position on the world stage, to increase its right to speak on international affairs and to add to its leverage in negotiating with the United States.

It seems like the timing is perfect for China tiger to flex its muscles since the cougar is exhausted chasing the fox of the desert in the faraway land of Iraq. 

China's anti-satellite weapons test proved again that the United States policy toward China must include some kind of containment. If the United States lets China develop its military might at will with the excuse of strong economic development, China will not only be a nuclear power, but it will also become a space weapons power. By then it will have achieved an irreversible negative impact on the stability of the region and on the global balance of power.

Powerful both economically and militarily, China will have less interest in making democratic reform and little patience to listen to democratic countries' suggestions about China's human rights issues. Economic and military power may prove more effective in protecting and supporting the communist political institutions. 

A few days ago, the European Union again declared its intention to maintain its weapons embargo on China. This is an example of containment. The United States has greater power and greater national interests and leading responsibilities to make a more proactive and effective policy of containment with respect to China. If the United States continues to do what it has done recently, such as intending to sell nuclear reactors to China, considering some technical cooperation on space systems with China, or preparing to help China explore its potential in many sensitive and key areas in the future, then it is likely to provide more of a feast to the communist tiger. 

Developing more of a policy of containment will encourage democracy activists in China. This will send a strong signal to those who are willing to make reform: only by transforming the communist giant into a democratic giant can China really ascend the path of peace and be welcome by the mainstream world.

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(The author, Fang Jue, is a Chinese political activist living in the United States.  [email protected])