Why China fears Starlink
And why it wants to build its own satellite constellation in low-Earth orbit
Beware of Starlink, says the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The mega-constellation of satellites, designed to provide off-grid high-bandwidth internet access, is run by SpaceX, a private American firm. But officials in Washington are surely taking advantage of it, warns the Liberation Army Daily. When Starlink was made available to Ukraine last year, after Russia’s invasion of the country, the army’s newspaper called it an “accomplice” of the “hegemony-obsessed US”. Never mind that it was Ukraine that asked SpaceX for help.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “A new mandate in the heavens”
From the May 20th 2023 edition
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