Illustration: Chen Xia/GT
China’s Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, equipped with advanced autonomous docking technology, was successfully launched and completed an autonomous docking with the Tiangong Space Station in just 3.5 hours, setting a new record in the history of China’s crewed space missions.
The significance of Shenzhou-21 goes far beyond being another technical milestone; it sends a clear message to the world: China is steadily and peacefully establishing its long-term role in space exploration.
From the Chang’e lunar missions to the Tiangong Space Station, from the Beidou navigation network to the International Lunar Research Station initiative, every major project China has launched has been characterized by openness, cooperation and shared scientific progress.
China firmly believes that space belongs to all humanity, not to any single nation or military bloc. The purpose of space exploration is to advance knowledge and technology, not to create new grounds for confrontation.
That is why China has repeatedly urged the prevention of an arms race in outer space within the United Nations framework, opposed any form of space weaponization and advocated for a fair, inclusive, and non-confrontational system of global space governance.
In recent decades, outer space has increasingly become the focus of strategic arrangements among major powers. The US has frequently described space as a "war-fighting domain" and a "future theater of conflict," formally establishing the US Space Force in 2019.
This indicates that the US continues to view space through a cold war lens — as a realm of control, deterrence and competition. The underlying logic remains one of hegemonic persistence: maintaining strategic dominance and rule-making power through technological monopoly and security alliances.
China’s approach could not be more different. Its space program is rooted in a balance between autonomy and collaboration, led jointly by government planning and civilian science. It does not seek expansion or dominance; instead, it is guided by independence, stability and long-term sustainability.
China views outer space not as an extension of geopolitical power, but as a platform for technological innovation, industrial transformation and the advancement of civilization. This "peaceful development model of space exploration" is more coherent scientifically and more consistent with the world’s expectations for responsible space governance.
The Tiangong Space Station, built entirely with Chinese technology, is open to international researchers and has already hosted cooperation projects with more than a dozen countries, including joint experiments and technology sharing. Even amid complex geopolitical tensions, China continues to invite other developing nations to join its space experiments, making space truly "a shared sky" rather than "a restricted domain."
These two space philosophies — the militarized and the cooperative — define today’s global space landscape, shaping not only the future of space exploration but also the geopolitical dynamics among major powers.
The US is expanding its military foothold in orbit under the guise of defense, turning space into a strategic platform for maintaining its hegemonic dominance.
Meanwhile, China is advancing scientific cooperation through transparency, open access and the sharing of technology.
China’s model offers an alternative path: one that pursues standard security through technological progress rather than through military alliances or unilateral control. It supports fairness, reasonableness and justice in the governance of space order.
Reality is proving that this path serves not only China’s national interests but also the long-term interests of global stability.
Space must never become a battlefield; it should remain a stage for human wisdom and shared civilization. China is demonstrating through its actions that steady, peaceful development can be more enduring than aggressive expansion.
The call for the peaceful use of space will not remain an abstract slogan; it will be realized through concrete scientific missions and international partnerships. Any attempt to turn space once again into a domain of geopolitical confrontation will ultimately be overtaken by the course of history.
Shenzhou-21 is more than a spaceflight — it is a symbol of a nation that pursues balance, reason and cooperation.
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/1103/c90000-20385377.html