What does all this add up to? At the fundamental level, space power has become a pre-condition to control of land, sea and air power. China today has a total of 72 satellites in space compared to 16 of ours in orbit. China’s anti-satellite capability is maturing. Chinese space-based laser development is designed to knock out the adversary’s command, control, communications and intelligence capabilities. China has, for the first time, acknowledged its efforts to build anti-missile defences. Coupled with anti-satellite capabilities, this threatens to marginalise if not nullify our nuclear deterrent in the future.

In a major expansion of its strategic nexus with Pakistan, especially in nuclear and missile areas, China has undertaken joint research, manufacture and application of small multi-mission satellites to be launched this year in collaboration in space with “Islamic” countries of Pakistan, Iran, and Bangladesh besides South Korea, Mongolia and Thailand under the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organisation established at Beijing in 2005 which includes Indonesia and Turkey in addition to the above countries.

The writer, a retired air commodore, is director, Centre for Air Power Studies