Does China have the legal right to claim Moon as its own territory? Beijing disputes NASA’s assertions

Is it actually conceivable for a nation to conquer the Moon? or declare Moon to be a part of itself? NASA accusations suggest so.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated in an interview on Saturday that China may one day make a moon landing. Additionally, he asserted that Beijing may claim Moon as its own territory.

According to Nelson, China will finish building its own Moon outpost by 2035. After that, the nation will be able to send out multiple lunar missions.

The head of NASA said that the US space agency has been ‘extremely concerned’ about China’s intentions to annex the natural satellite, which include plans to set foot on the Moon.

‘We must be very concerned that China is landing on the Moon and saying: ‘It’s ours now and you stay out’,’ NASA Administrator Bill said.

Nelson also said that China’s space programme was a military one. He further suggested that China had stolen ideas and technology from others.

China denied the charges.

China replies that it has always advocated for the creation of an international community in space. And denied the charges and referred to NASA’s chief claims as a careless slander.

China has accelerated its space programme in recent years, putting a particular emphasis on moon exploration.

Aiming to launch rockets powerful enough to take astronauts to the moon by the end of this decade, China made its first unmanned lunar landing in 2013.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesman at the Chinese foreign ministry, said, ‘This is not the first time that the head of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration has ignored the facts and spoken irresponsibly about China.’

‘The US side has constantly constructed a smear campaign against China’s normal and reasonable outer space endeavours, and China firmly opposes such irresponsible remarks,’ he added.

He continued by saying that China has long supported the development of a shared human future in space and has opposed its militarization and any space weapons race.

In 2024, NASA intends to launch a crewed trip to orbit the Moon under its Artemis programme. By 2025, it is also intended to perform a crewed landing close to the lunar south pole.

China, though, is preparing unmanned trips to the Moon’s south pole for later this decade.