China is expanding its space diplomacy by offering emerging nations an alternative to western-led programmes such as Nasa's, with Pakistan the latest country to sign up.
An agreement between Beijing and Islamabad was signed on Friday to train and send a Pakistani astronaut to China’s Tiangong space station, which has been up and running since 2022. China has opened its space programme to other nations, such as Saudi Arabia, Brazil and several African countries, offering to launch satellites and collaborate on lunar mission.
Sahith Madara, an aerospace engineer and founder of the advisory firm Bumi & Space, told The National China’s deal with Pakistan is a “strategic power play” to expand its influence.
“By helping Pakistan with satellites, lunar missions and astronaut training for the Tiangong space station, China is signalling to emerging space nations: ‘Why wait in line at Nasa when you can ride with us?'” he said. “Unlike western agencies, which come with a fair share of regulations and geopolitical strings attached, China offers a more flexible and budget-friendly route – think of it as the low-cost carrier of space partnerships, minus the hidden fees – or so it seems.”
Who will the astronaut be?
As part of the agreement, five Pakistani candidates from the public and the military will be selected, who will be trained in China, the state news agency Xinhua reports. After physical fitness and mental tolerance tests, one will be chosen to eventually fly with Chinese astronauts to Tiangong. A timetable has not yet been revealed.
Muhammad Yousuf Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, said China was achieving its space goals “very quickly” and that Tiangong was the “equal” of the International Space Station. “Our astronaut will be in space and he will perform the experiments during his flight and his stay in Tiangong, it will be broadcasted in Pakistan to motivate our young engineers, scientists and young generation," he told Xinhua.
Gaining access to the ISS is challenging for emerging space nations because of geopolitical restrictions, high costs and the dominance of Nasa and its western partners in determining participation. Countries without agreements with the US-led ISS programme face bureaucratic hurdles, limited access to technology and long approval times, making China a more accessible space partner.
“For emerging space nations, this deal is tempting – affordable launches, full-package solutions and none of the bureaucratic headaches that often come with western partnerships,” said Mr Madara. “But there’s always 'fine print'. While China provides the rocket ride, the technology transfer is often limited, meaning some nations could find themselves reliant on Chinese systems rather than developing their own. Plus, aligning too closely with China might not sit well with western allies, leading to awkward geopolitical dinner conversations.”
US companies and federal agencies, including Nasa, are not allowed to collaborate with China due to the Wolf Amendment, a law passed by Congress in 2011 to allay concerns about technology transfer and national security.
Modern space race
Saudi Arabia is another nation to have worked with China, specifically on its Chang’e-4 lunar mission, which took place in 2018-19 and led to the first landing on the far side of the Moon. As part of the mission, the kingdom provided an optical camera for a small satellite deployed by Chang'e-4, which is still orbiting the Moon today.
In South America, Brazil co-developed the CBERS satellite programme for Earth observation, with China, while countries such as Venezuela and Bolivia have relied on China for satellite launches. In Africa, China has launched satellites for Nigeria, Algeria, Sudan and Egypt, helping them develop space capabilities in communications, weather forecasting and resource monitoring.
It comes as China and the US appear to be locked in a modern space race, with each looking to establish their dominance in exploration and technology. A key goal for both is landing astronauts on the Moon. Nasa’s Artemis programme aims to return humans to the lunar surface by 2027, marking the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. China, with its Chang'e missions, also has plans to send astronauts to the Moon before the end of the decade.
Washington is stepping up collaborations with its own allies through the Artemis Accords – a US-led international agreement that outlines responsible lunar exploration that already has more than 50 nation signatories. With the ISS set to be retired in 2030, Nasa is shifting its focus on building a station called Gateway in the lunar orbit, in partnership with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, the European Space Agency, Canada and Japan. However, it still wants access to low-Earth orbit and has launched a programme to fund US companies developing private stations.
Jeffrey Manber, president of International Space Stations at Voyager Space – a company building the Starlab station – said the country is seeking a strategic shift to commercial space stations, ensuring a continuing human presence in orbit. “Speaking from the West here, there is no way the United States is going to surrender low-Earth orbit to China – full stop,” he told The National in an earlier interview. “There is no way, not even in the prior administration, not in the Trump era. So Tiangong is an excellent station. It’s up there 24/7, fully crewed, and we will do the same.”