Cooperation In Space, Under The Vision Of International Politics

With more and more nations acquiring the ability to exploit space, human being is obtaining more benefits from space technology and activity. Giving the tremendous expenditure and great sophisticated technology needed when exploiting space, no country can make this achievement alone. Therefore, international cooperation on space issues becomes the inevitable choice and trend. In addtion, owing to the unique nature of space field, effective international cooperation is critical to maintaining world peace and development, promoting global governance and regional integration, and fanally enhancing the benefits of all people in the world.However,international space cooperation has not gone entirely smoothly, and the reason lies in that mankind behaves the same on ground and in outer space. Space Age is a truly global political era. That states use what kind of ideas and theories to guide their actions to deal with the international space affairs, will largely shape the pattern of international space system and affect the future direction of the international community.In the perspective of political realism, Space affairs is mainly security issue, related to competition, conflict, hegemony and power transfer. Although realists recognize the existence of space cooperation, they deny its effectiveness. Therefore, during the cold war the main agenda is not cooperation but competition. In the contrary, Liberalism view that cooperation is the trend of space development, and concern more about that cultural traditions, historical experiences, value systems, the demostic political and economic structures when analysing the formation of national space policy. Space system in the Perspective of international political sociology is constructed by the nations or nation groups holding different ideas, cultural values and following the different behavior models through their interaction. Contemporary Western Marxist theory, a good explanation of the formation of international space system and its inequalities arising from the status quo, can bluntly expound the unrealistic nature of "equality" principle of the international space mechanisms.Overall, the major factors affecting international space cooperation can be summarized into five: (space) strengths, interests, identity, international environment and international mechanisms. These factors are interrelated and interact. Among them, strength is the basis for cooperation, interests are the decisive driving force, international environment and identity are critical constraints, and mechanism is the ensuring factor. However, they are not all at the same time to play the same effect. In different historical periods and in different areas of cooperation, some factors may play a dominant role according to different partners.The reality of human space activities had fully verifyed these theories. Mankind entered the space age in 1957, but from 1957 to 1969, apart from the basic principles of co-operation and some foundamental knowledge exchange, there were almost no meaningful access to the cooperation. Strengths, interests, identity were undoubtedly important factors during the early space age, but the Cold War environment played a key role for the success or failure in international space cooperation at that time. After 70's, the world situation changed, the US-Soviet hegemony adopted a new trend, and Multi-level system of the International Space began to emerge. The United States and the Soviet Union adjusted their space strategy respectively, gradually started substantive space cooperation between them, and at the same time began to deepen co-operation within their respective groups. The integration process promoted the European countries to create the world's first inter-governmental international space cooperation organization - the European Space Agency. Developing countries had also gradually started to focus a whole system of their own interests in space.1990s later, a new trend of liberalism began to promote large-scale in-depth development of international space cooperation, and economic factors as well as the demands of economic interests in international space cooperation had played a bigger role. Meanwhile, space commercialization entered the rapid development stage, space economy had become an important part of the world economy. In addition to deepening of cooperation among the traditional space powers, many newly industrialized countries and developing countries are widely involved in various levels and various forms of space cooperation. The main actors of co-operation more diversified.As a developing country, China made a series of important achievements by taking the space policy of emphsizing independent development and participation in international cooperation at the same time. After nearly 60 years'efforts, the international community had worked together to gradually establish a set of international mechanisms coordinating the interest of space activities around the world, promoting international cooperation, and maintaining order in space.In short, the international space interaction has always been competition and cooperation co-exist, but the era of the development needs international space cooperation to be further strengthened. First, promoting developing countries and small countries to participate in-depth in a wide range of international space cooperation and enhance the overall strength of the world in space. Secondly, creating a favorable international environment and cultivate the concept of a positive identity. Thirdly, the international mechanisms of space shall be improved. Fourthly, the United Nations'force in international space cooperation shall be strengthened. Fanally, Space cooperation should be guided by the principle of gradual and orderly progress.