The Facts
On Monday, Nina Armagno, the director of staff of the US Space Force, stated that rapid advancements in China's military capabilities pose growing threats to American dominance in outer space.
Admitting that the progress Beijing had made was "stunningly fast," Armagno revealed at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute that it was "entirely possible" China could catch up with and overtake the US in space capabilities.
The Spin
Pro-China narrative
China is at the start of a new operational stage in space. The near-final construction of the state-of-the-art China Space Station shows China's growing strength in the field. Despite this, as seen through joint projects with the UN and the European Space Agency — alongside the fact that the new Space Station is open to all UN member states — China is more than willing to engage in international cooperation as Beijing's presence continues to grow.
Anti-China narrative
Today the US is in a new space race, but this time against China, and experts are rightly worried. If China becomes the dominant space power in the next two decades, economic and national security will be at serious risk. Whoever dominates space will determine the future and we must abandon the fantasy that all nations will work together. Given what we know of China's behavior in differing circumstances, the space race must be won by the US to ensure the future of freedom in the 21st Century.
