China shares rare Moon rocks with US despite trade war
SINGAPORE — China will let scientists from six countries, including the US, examine the rocks it collected from the Moon — a scientific collaboration that comes as the two countries remain locked in a bitter trade war.
Two Nasa-funded US institutions have been granted access to the lunar samples collected by the Chang'e-5 mission in 2020, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on Thursday.
CNSA chief Shan Zhongde said that the samples were "a shared treasure for all humanity," local media reported.
Chinese researchers have not been able to access Nasa's Moon samples because of restrictions imposed by US lawmakers on the space agency's collaboration with China.
Under the 2011 law, Nasa is banned from collaboration with China or any Chinese-owned companies unless it is specifically authorised by Congress.
But John Logsdon, the former director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, told BBC Newshour that the latest exchange of Moon rocks have "very little to do with politics".
While there are controls on space technology, the examination of lunar samples had "nothing of military significance", he said.
"It's international cooperation in science which is the norm."
Washington has imposed tariffs Chinese goods that go up to 245%, while Beijing has hit back with 125% tariffs on US goods.
US President Donald Trump previously hinted at a de-escalation in the trade war, but Beijing has denied that there were negotiations between the two sides.
In 2023, the CNSA put out a call for applications to study its Chang'e-5 moon samples.
What's special about the Chang'e-5 Moon samples is that they "seem to be a billion years younger" than those collected from Apollo missions, Dr Logsdon said. "So it suggests that volcanic activity went on in the moon more recently than people had thought".
Space officials from the US and China had reportedly tried to negotiate an exchange of moon samples last year, but it appears the deal did not materialize.
Besides Brown University and Stony Brook University in the US, the other winning bids came from institutions in France, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, and the UK.
Shan, from the CNSA, said the agency will "maintain an increasingly active and open stance" in international space exchange and cooperation, including along the space information corridor under the Belt and Road Initiative
"I believe China's circle of friends in space will continue to grow," he said. — BBC
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Saudi Gazette
a day ago
- Saudi Gazette
China sends dozens of planes across central line in Taiwan Strait
BEIJING — China dispatched 74 military aircraft towards the Taiwan Strait between late Thursday and early Friday, with 61 of them crossing its median line, the Taiwanese defence ministry has said. The incursion, which represents one of the largest in recent months, began a day after the UK sailed a navy ship across the strait, in a move welcomed by Taipei but condemned by Beijing. The Chinese planes were sent in two separate waves, with six naval vessels also accompanying the maneuvers, according to Taiwan. Beijing regards the democratically governed island as part of its own territory and has stepped up such deployments to demonstrate its readiness to encircle and potentially invade Taiwan. Analysts say the moves are also aimed at intimidating Taiwan's population and exhausting its military resources and morale. Taiwan responded by scrambling its own fighter jets, deploying naval ships and activating land-based missile systems to monitor the incursion. The incident came after the British patrol vessel HMS Spey passed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcome the patrol, saying it 'once again (reaffirmed the Strait's) status as international waters". 'Such transits by the UK and other like-minded countries are encouraged to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific,' it added. Britain's de facto embassy in Taipei said the HMS Spey was legally within its rights to sail through the strait. 'Wherever the Royal Navy operates, it does so in full compliance with international law and exercises its right to Freedom of Navigation and overflight,' it stated. However, Beijing condemned the Royal Navy's actions, with the Chinese army saying the British vessel had 'deliberately disturbed the situation and undermined the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait". While the timing raised speculation, it remains unclear whether China's large-scale aerial deployment was a direct response to the British naval transit. The Taiwan Strait is an important international waterway, but Beijing routinely objects to the presence of foreign military vessels in the area. — Euronews
Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
Chinese citizens flee Iran as conflict with Israel rages on
TEHRAN — Hundreds of Chinese workers, students and tourists have fled or been evacuated from Iran to neighboring countries as the conflict with Israel spirals. Masa Li, a 24-year-old Chinese citizen who has lived and worked in Tehran for the past few years, fled the city on Monday after three days of bombing. 'At night, we took turns keeping watch. There were explosions every night, lasting until two or three o'clock in the morning,' she said, adding that she saw several strikes hitting the city from where she lived. On the final day, Li decided to flee with nine colleagues and friends. It took them more than 30 hours to reach a border crossing in Armenia — a drive stalled by repeated car breakdowns and frequent stops for questioning and phone checks by police and military officers. 'I didn't expect this to really happen,' Li told CNN from the Armenian capital of Yerevan. 'There were two minor flare-ups last year, but I didn't expect things to escalate so quickly this time.' Many Chinese in Iran work for Chinese companies that have invested in the oil-rich country. China has for years been Iran's largest trading partner and the biggest buyer of Iranian oil. The Middle Eastern nation is an enthusiastic supporter of Beijing's 'Belt and Road Initiative,' a global infrastructure and investment drive. The Chinese Embassy started evacuating Chinese citizens from Tehran on Tuesday, according to state media. China's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that more than 1,600 Chinese nationals had been relocated from Iran, while several hundred Chinese citizens had been evacuated from Israel. China, a key diplomatic and economic backer of Iran, has condemned Israel for violating Iran's sovereignty and escalating tensions in the Middle East by launching the attack. It has urged both sides to de-escalate tensions and offered to play a 'constructive role' in resolving the conflict. — CNN
Leaders
2 days ago
- Leaders
China Condemns Israel's ‘War of Aggression' against Iran
Chinese scholar and former diplomat Dr. Victor Gao described Israel's strikes on Iran as a 'war of aggression', urging for an immediate end to the conflict, according to Al Arabiya. Strong Condemnation During his online interview with Al Arabiya English's GNT, Gao denounced Israel's attacks and missiles on Iranian nuclear facilities, describing them as a 'surprise attack' that could have global ramifications. 'China really deplores Israel's military attack on nuclear facilities inside Iran and considers it as a very serious offense against a world of peace and security,' Gao said. Israel's 'High Hypocrisy' Gao also dismissed Israel's allegations of starting the attacks for the sake of self-defense, describing the claims as 'high hypocrisy' especially when it comes to the fact that Israel owns undeclared nuclear arsenal. 'It is of high hypocrisy for a country like Israel, which violated international convention in possessing nuclear weapons, to accuse another country of trying to possess nuclear weapons,' he added. Apart from this, he accused Israel of not only undermining international norms but also creating a threat of a regional – and potentially global – catastrophe. 'In my best judgment, it is like the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in the Second World War,' he said. Iran's Right of Self-Defense Gao stressed that China believes that Iran is a sovereign nation and has full rights to defend its territory. 'Whatever Iran is doing is justified, because they are defending their own sovereignty and territorial integrity,' he said. 'They are fighting back against aggressors.' Stark Warning Moreover, he mentioned the mounting suspicions that the US is playing a secret role in Israel-Iran conflict. 'Evidence points out to a joint operation by the United States and Israel against the country of Iran,' he warned. 'If the United States really gets bogged down in this war against Iran, no one knows what will happen… in the coming years or coming decades,' he added. China's Geopolitical Benefits In this context, Gao also dismissed the idea that China could benefit geopolitically from a distracted US. 'China always benefits by protecting peace and stability anywhere in the world,' he said. 'It is time to stop Israel in this war against Iran and to prevent the United States from really joining this war… which may escalate the situation and create… consequences for mankind as a whole,' he added. A Warning for Netanyahu In a stark rebuke of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Gao warned that Netanyahu will not be able to escape from the reach of law. 'No one should allow Prime Minister Netanyahu [to try] saving his own political skin from justice at home and justice in Hague by launching this war of aggression against Iran,' Gao concluded. Israeli-Iranian Tensions On June 13, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Iran under the name of Operation Rising Lion. The military campaign targeted Iran's nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists. As a response, Iran launched a retaliatory wave of missiles against Israel and targeted Tel Aviv. Israel also killed three more Iranian nuclear scientists, bringing the total number of scientists slain to nine, Gulf News reported. Currently, both countries are trading missiles and attacks amid intensifying efforts to halt the conflict. Related Topics: 'Nobody Knows': Trump on US Striking Iran Iran's Natanz Facilities Were 'Badly Hit': IAEA's Chief Jordan King Warns: Israel-Iran Escalation Risks Global Chaos Short link : Post Views: 11
