[logfromblammo]

All space tech is necessarily dual-use military. I'm certain the concern is that space launch cooperation with PR China will result in unintentional transfer of militarily relevant technologies.

Also, China is responsible for the largest single space debris generating event in history, from the intentional destruction of Fengyun-1C in 2007. That kind of thing doesn't matter to the politicians so much, but it was kind of a dick move, and had all the appearances of gratuitous saber-rattling. Space is too important for nationalist dick-measuring contests in LEO when it is already perilously close to Kessler cascade.

[ceejayoz]

That concern requires pretending (against all evidence) the Chinese haven't thoroughly penetrated US defense contractors' networks and personnel. http://www.reuters.com/article/usa-fighter-hacking-idUSL2N0E...

We managed to cooperate with Russia, too.

> Space is too important for nationalist dick-measuring contests in LEO...

I posit that's exactly what the policy forbidding China from collaborating with NASA is.

[logfromblammo]

Nothing good will come of freezing China out of "international" space collaborations.

[ceejayoz]

That's precisely my point.