China leads in GPS-style, reconnaissance and anti-satellite abilities, US report says

The report from the Washington-based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said China had rapidly built a powerful commercial space sector under strong state backing and was narrowing the innovation gap with the US.

“If the United States does not take decisive action soon, China will claim the top spot in the global space economy,

” the report, released on June 8, said.

The warning comes as analysts project the global space economy could exceed US$1 trillion within the next decade. According to the report, China has already surpassed Russia as America’s main competitor in space.

“Most commercial space capabilities are dual use, with militaries relying most heavily on [positioning, navigation and timing], remote sensing, [low Earth orbit] broadband and anti-satellite weaponry.