“To Think European”: The ESA Approach to Space Cooperation with China (1976-1989)

Abstract

The cooperation between the European Space Agency and the Chinese space organizations during the Cold War is analyzed as a self-standing issue of the general Sino- European relations. From the beginning, this collaboration aimed to rely on the scientific level, but political and commercial factors affected the actual development of the relations. Both sides made efforts to overcome hesitancies and build a long-term cooperation. However, Europe and China remained two actors with different political agenda and priorities. This element was especially relevant at the community level, as opposed to the bilateral levels. It influenced the development of the collaboration on space matters, which thrived until the first half of the 1980s, while it encountered more obstacles in the following years. The paper offers a final reflection on 1989 as a watershed date and on the resumption of the space cooperation in the 1990s.