HEARING ON CHINA IN SPACE: A STRATEGIC COMPETITION? HEARING BEFORE THE U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019 Printed for use of the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission Available via the World Wide Web: www.uscc.gov UNITED STATES-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION WASHINGTON: 2019 U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION CAROLYN BARTHOLOMEW, CHAIRMAN ROBIN CLEVELAND, VICE CHAIRMAN Commissioners: HON. CARTE P. GOODWIN MICHAEL A. MCDEVITT ROY D. KAMPHAUSEN HON. JAMES M. TALENT THEA MEI LEE MICHAEL R. WESSEL KENNETH LEWIS The Commission was created on October 30, 2000 by the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for 2001 § 1238, Public Law No. 106-398, 114 STAT. 1654A-334 (2000) (codified at 22 U.S.C. § 7002 (2001), as amended by the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act for 2002 § 645 (regarding employment status of staff) & § 648 (regarding changing annual report due date from March to June), Public Law No. 107-67, 115 STAT. 514 (Nov. 12, 2001); as amended by Division P of the “Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003,” Pub L. No. 108-7 (Feb. 20, 2003) (regarding Commission name change, terms of Commissioners, and responsibilities of the Commission); as amended by Public Law No. 109- 108 (H.R. 2862) (Nov. 22, 2005) (regarding responsibilities of Commission and applicability of FACA); as amended by Division J of the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008,” Public Law Nol. 110-161 (December 26, 2007) (regarding responsibilities of the Commission, and changing the Annual Report due date from June to December); as amended by the Carl Levin and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015, P.L. 113-291 (December 19, 2014) (regarding responsibilities of the Commission). The Commission’s full charter is available at www.uscc.gov. ii May 13, 2019 The Honorable Chuck Grassley President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 Dear Senator Grassley and Speaker Pelosi: We are writing to notify you of the Commission’s April 25, 2019 public hearing on “China in Space: A Strategic Competition?.” The Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for 2001 § 1238, Pub. L. No. 106-398 (as amended by the Carl Levin and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 § 1259b, Pub. L. No. 113-291) provides the basis for this hearing. At the hearing, the Commissioners received testimony from the following witnesses: General James Cartwright, USMC (Ret.), Inaugural Chairholder, Harold Brown Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies; William Roper, Ph.D., Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics; Todd Harrison, Director, Aerospace Security Project and Defense Budget Analysis, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Brian Weeden, Ph.D., Director of Program Planning, Secure World Foundation; Namrata Goswami, Ph.D., Senior Independent Analyst; Lorand Laskai, Visiting Researcher, Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology; Michael Gold, J.D., Vice-President, Regulatory and Policy, Maxar Technologies; Kevin J. Wolf, J.D., Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld; Kevin Pollpeter, Senior Research Scientist, CNA; Mark Stokes, Executive Director, Project 2049 Institute; and Jonathan Ray, Research Director, Special Programs Division, SOS International LLC. This hearing examined the implications for the United States of a commercial, scientific, diplomatic, and military strategic competition with China. The hearing began with two individual panels comprising a strategic planning perspective on competition with China in space and a current Administration official’s assessment of the balance of power in space and China’s current space-based surveillance capabilities, respectively. The first full panel examined China’s pursuit of global space leadership, focusing on China’s international space partnerships, its views on international law in space, and its exploration ambitions. The second panel addressed the role of military-civil fusion in China’s space ambitions, including the role of military-civil fusion in context of China’s national space goals, U.S. competition with Chinese companies in the international satellite industry, and the adequacy of U.S. export controls. Finally, the third panel examined China’s military space activities, focusing on its national military space goals and doctrine, its military space and counterspace capabilities, and the intersection of cyber and space in China’s strategy and operations. The full transcript of the hearing, prepared statements, and supporting documents are posted to the Commission’s website, www.uscc.gov. Members and the staff of the Commission are available to provide more detailed briefings. We hope these materials will be helpful to the Congress as it continues its assessment of U.S.-China relations and their impact on U.S. security. The Commission will examine in greater depth these issues and the others in our statutory mandate this year. Our 2019 Annual Report will be submitted to Congress in November 2019. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to have your staff contact one of us or our Congressional Liaison, Leslie Tisdale Reagan, at 202-624-1496 or [email protected]. Sincerely yours, Carolyn Bartholomew Robin Cleveland Chairman Vice Chairman cc: Members of Congress and Congressional Staff iii CONTENTS THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019 CHINA IN SPACE: A STRATEGIC COMPETITION? Opening Statement of Chairman Bartholomew (Hearing Co-Chair) .........................................................................................................6 Prepared Statement ...........................................................................................................8 Opening Statement of Commissioner McDevitt (Hearing Co-Chair) .......................................................................................................10 Prepared Statement .........................................................................................................11 Strategic Perspective Strategic Perspective Introduction by Chairman Bartholomew.........................................12 Statement of General James Cartwright, USMC (Ret.) Inaugural Chairholder, Harold Brown Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies ............................................................................................................................13 Prepared Statement .........................................................................................................16 Strategic Perspective Question and Answer ......................................................................20 Administration Perspective Administration Perspective Introduction by Commissioner McDevitt .............................26 Statement of William Roper, Ph.D. Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics .........27 Prepared Statement .........................................................................................................28 Administration Perspective Question and Answer ............................................................34 Panel I: China’s Pursuit of Global Space Leadership Panel I Introduction by Chairman Bartholomew (Hearing Co-Chair) .......................................................................................................42 Statement of Todd Harrison Director, Aerospace Security Project and Defense Budget Analysis, Center for Strategic and International Studies .................................................................................43 Prepared Statement .........................................................................................................45 Statement of Brian Weeden, Ph.D. X Professional Title ........................................................................................................51 Prepared Statement .........................................................................................................53 Statement of Namrata Goswami, Ph.D. Senior Independent Analyst ...........................................................................................76 Prepared Statement .........................................................................................................79 Panel I: Question and Answer..........................................................................................109 iv Panel II: Military-Civil Fusion in China’s Space Ambitions Panel II Introduction by Commissioner McDevitt (Hearing Co-Chair) .....................................................................................................125 Statement of Lorand Laskai Visiting Researcher, Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology ....126 Prepared Statement .......................................................................................................129 Statement of Michael Gold, J.D. Vice-President, Regulatory and Policy, Maxar Technologies .....................................140 Prepared Statement .......................................................................................................143 Statement of Kevin J. Wolf, J.D. Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld ..................................................................151 Prepared Statement .......................................................................................................154