Namrata Goswami is an independent analyst and author specializing in space policy.
While President Trump’s trade war with China continues to play out on Earth, the real fight for future economic dominance is going on over his head: literally.
In late October, a top Chinese space policymaker revealed plans to establish an Earth-moon space economic zone by 2050, with the potential to generate $10 trillion annually. That’s a tenfold increase over the ambitions articulated by the U.S. secretary of commerce, Wilbur Ross, in an op-ed this year. The plan paints a picture of a domain from the Earth to the moon and nearby asteroids in which China, not the United States, is the lead player, deciding the norms and rules of the game.
