Regional Space Organizations of Japan and China: Crossing Paths?

In 2013 Suzuki Kazuto suggested that the regional space organizations of Japan and China, initially created as instruments of regional diplomatic competition, are moving towards cooperation. This article is devoted to the analysis of possible rapprochement between APRSAF and APSCO within the astropolitical framework. To do this, the organizations’ activities are analyzed from 2013 to 2023, a comparative description for programs is carried out, an assessment of organizations’ involvement is provided. Comparative analysis within the specified timeframe with focus on specific programs and points of interaction has not previously been attempted. Within astropolitics, China and Japan are defined as a space power and an autonomous space nation, respectively. States engage in regional competition to maximize their space power, a limited resource built up from the sum of all space programs and capabilities of each state. The spheres of regional influence of the two organizations overlap partially. For APSCO, eight countries are involved: Bangladesh, Iran, China, Mongolia, Thailand, Turkey, Pakistan and Peru. The most active participants in APRSAF include: Australia, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Mongolia and the Philippines. The two organizations have developed 12 initiatives, six on each side. Within the timeframe, attention was focused on three areas where the organizations indicated their presence: disaster management, environmental monitoring and space law. In all three areas, APSCO and APRSAF initiatives focus on almost identical issues within the same region, and cooperation could hypothetically lead to higher quality of the programs. However, the organizations refrain from any form of cooperation and thus continue to be diplomatic tools of China and Japan used to strengthen their positions in the region. China and APSCO attending the Japanese forum can be explained by China’s broader strategy to assert its presence in all organizations and dialogues related to the space domain to consolidate its status as a modern center of space activities.

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