South Africa Partners With China on Space Exploration Against US

South Africa to partner with China on space exploration as Beijing seeks to bolster its influence in the competition for lunar dominance against the United States and its allies.

According to Xinhua News Agency, on Tuesday during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to South Africa, two agreements on official cooperation were signed, making it the first agreement of its kind between the two nations.

The two agreements cover human spaceflight and the International Lunar Research Station, which aims to build a base on the moon that’s backed by China and Russia.

Fellow BRICS nations India and Brazil have signed the US-backed Artemis Accords, which subsequently increased pressure on China to seek out new allies. In a briefing Monday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said, the international research station project is “open to all international partners who are interested in the project”, which garnered a few countries’ enthusiasm.

According to industry analysts, both Washington and Beijing will court African nations that want satellite and space programmes of their own. Nigeria and Rwanda were the first Africans to sign to the Artemis Accords back in December, while South Africa signed with China.