China last week announced that it picked two Pakistani astronauts for its Tiangong space station mission, indicating the maturation of the two nations’ relationship from terrestrial infrastructure cooperation to extraterrestrial strategic domains. For Taiwan and India, the developments present an opportunity for democratic collaboration in space, particularly regarding dual-use technologies and the normative frameworks for outer space governance.
Sino-Pakistani space cooperation dates back to the end of the Cold War in the 1990s, with a cooperative agreement between the Pakistani Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, and the Chinese Ministry of Aerospace Industry. Space cooperation was integrated into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In 2014, Pakistan adopted China’s Beidou system as its primary navigation system for military and civilian purposes. Beijing helped Islamabad launch its Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite and its indigenous Pakistan Technology Evaluation Satellite. China wants to present a non-Western regime, an alternative to the Artemis Accords, in the space domain within the UN framework of the Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific, and outside, through the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization and BRI. The integration of space cooperation under BRI creates a technological dependence of developing states on China for their socio-economic development. This leverages big space powers such as China to push for their technological standards in global space governance.
The Taiwan Space Agency is an emerging player in the space domain, with its flagship programs including Beyond 5G LEO Satellite, Formosat-8 and Formosat-9. Establishing a Beijing-centric standard could isolate the Taiwanese technology sector or erode its traditional advantage in high-value, strategic supply chains. The global space tech dependency of developing countries on China would complicate support in the UN in a possible cross-strait crisis.
China’s growing influence in the South Asian space domain challenges India’s efforts. It challenges India’s regional influence, seeking to present itself as the leader of regional cooperation. The launch of GSAT-9 was an example of projecting India’s desire to lead South Asian space affairs. The Indian audience is observing this close cooperation, as it has security implications for India. Pakistan is also pushing for military modernization, where space-based operations play a crucial role in modern warfare. The Sino-Pakistani space cooperation can have dual-use implications. It would have implications for the balance of power, as India is cooperating with multiple partners, including the US.
India is a critical part of Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy, and the two countries have complementary technological strengths. India can be a major market for Taiwan’s contemporary and future technology exports and services, while Taiwan’s expertise in sophisticated technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G and cybercapabilities could benefit India’s “Make in India” and “Digital India” initiatives. Indians in Taiwan are primarily in fields such as engineering, computer science and semiconductor technologies. The expanding people-to-people contact and growing diaspora after the establishment of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center, and the India Taipei Association in 1995 have created more opportunities.
Taiwan and India can collaborate on joint satellite development. These would complement one of the critical aims of Taiwan’s space program in deploying a resilient low Earth orbit satellite constellation for national security and disaster management. The collaboration would reduce costs and enhance efficiency for both nations.
They can collaborate on space situational awareness (SSA), including tracking, cataloging, and predicting the movement of artificial bodies in space, which arise from non-functional satellites and other debris. Achieving SSA coordination would signal the nations as responsible states and increase their diplomatic clout in the global space community. Furthermore, Taiwan and India can push for global space governance grounded in consultative, collaborative and consensus-based norms that uphold equality and sustainability. These would rise above power politics and could open the way for more inclusive space exploration.
Sino-Pakistani cooperation in space is a welcome step, provided it is limited to the civil domain. However, Taiwan and India, as democratic nations, should collaborate in outer space to advance their national objectives in socioeconomic development and national security, grounded in shared values of transparency, sustainability and inclusivity, to seek stability in this contested domain.
Akhilesh Kumar is a Ministry of Foreign Affairs fellow based in Taipei and a doctoral candidate at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi. Abhishek Yadav is a doctoral candidate at JNU, and he specializes in China’s space program.
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