China’s space ambitions now outpace every other country – even the US. From the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party has always seen space as key to cementing China’s status as a global superpower. These ambitions have outlived the Cold War era space race, with China’s State Council publishing five high-level policy papers on space between 2000 and 2021. Yet China’s space ambitions are about far more than building international status. Space capabilities are seen by China’s leadership as critical to economic security and military superiority, particularly as it seeks to control the strategic technologies of the future.