Governance of outer space critical for world peace

Editor's note: China has released a position paper on strengthening outer space governance. China Central Television spoke to Guo Xiaobing, director of the center for arms control studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations; and Wang Guoyu, director of the institute for space and air policy and law studies at Beijing Institute of Technology, on the importance of the paper. Below are excerpts of the interviews. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

The position paper aims to address the lack of guiding principles in outer space governance. Until a few years ago, there were only a few hundred satellites in outer space. Now there are some 16,000 satellites in orbit, and this number is increasing at a remarkable pace.

China's position paper introduces four foundational principles that are important for the governance of outer space: uphold rules and order, take a comprehensive and holistic approach, maintain an equilibrium of interests and exercise self-restraint. These principles offer constructive solutions to issues related to outer space development, security and governance.

The paper also outlines 10 proposals: promoting openness and shared benefits, respecting the rights of all nations, adhering to international law, advancing innovation and development, safeguarding common security, preventing armed conflicts, reducing misunderstandings, regulating commercial space activity, enhancing international cooperation and promoting global governance.

These proposals address both security and development issues. On the security front, particularly the prevention of conflicts in outer space, the document outlines China's principled stance. On development, the emphasis is on ensuring that developing countries have equal access to outer space. From this perspective, these proposals are a milestone in the domain of outer space governance.

A space arms race and the militarization of outer space are currently the greatest threats to space security. Since humanity first entered outer space in 1957, no country has openly deployed weapons in space. However, this unspoken rule has now been broken by certain nations.

The paper also urges states to ensure that commercial space activities strictly comply with relevant national and international laws so that they don't infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of other states. In particular, they should not intervene in the armed conflicts and internal affairs of other states in an unlawful way.

If a commercial space enterprise were to interfere in another country's armed conflict without notice, such as by providing communication or surveillance services to one side, it could escalate tensions and potentially lead to conflict. China urges all nations to strengthen oversight of commercial space activities to prevent such situations.

Furthermore, if a country is aware that its commercial space enterprises are involved in an armed conflict, or in the internal affairs of another nation and continues to support, tolerate or even condone such activities, it should bear international responsibility under space law.

Any violation of the United Nations Charter by commercial space enterprises should be directly attributed to the government of the enterprise's host country. The impacted nation would then have the right to take lawful measures, such as invoking the right to self-defense or implementing countermeasures. China has highlighted these legal consequences in negotiations to prevent misunderstandings or misjudgments in real-world situations.