But China lags significantly behind the U.S. in areas of education, economy, and freedom of expression. The latter is important because it is an essential ingredient for long-term innovation.
We're at the point where China can simply use existing technology to gain a lead in space presence. More permissive societies are bound to appear, given a serious program of Chinese space settlement. Also, the Soviet experience shows that you can have technological innovation in aerospace without freedom of expression.
It's fine by me if a dictatorship takes the lead in space. Their people might suffer as a result. Our goal should always be to raise the average standard of living. If that means taking a back seat in some area, why not?
We're at the point where China can simply use existing technology to gain a lead in space presence. More permissive societies are bound to appear, given a serious program of Chinese space settlement. Also, the Soviet experience shows that you can have technological innovation in aerospace without freedom of expression.