China's National Space Station: Opportunities, Challenges, and Solutions for International Cooperation

Abstract

The principle of international cooperation is among the basic principles of both general international law and space law. Based on the development and improvement of the norm of international cooperation as kind of “cooperation for the common interests (of the international community),” when engaging in international cooperation in outer space, China should take as its fundamental purpose the advancement of “cooperation for the common interests” by taking into account both its own national interests and the common interests of the international community as a whole. To realize that purpose, the country should emphasize international cooperation in establishing a space station as a specific implementation approach and adopt a China-led cooperation model. On the one hand, China should invite more developed space-faring countries to participate in such cooperation to safeguard its own interests. On the other hand, it should also create opportunities for developing countries to participate in an attempt to safeguard the common interests of the wider international community.