China's antisatellite-missle test - III (#336, Topic F)

Today is Lunar New Year's eve; I was planning to write something about the charming things we do during this family-oriented period. This idea, however, is trumpted by an important interview I read in today's Wall Street Journal -- of Tom Schelling, last year's Nobel laureate in economics, whose specialty is the application of game theory to negotiation, by Michael Spence, one of Schelling's students at Harvard and himself a Nobel laureate in economics, in 2001. The interview covered a lot of territory. Let me cover only its last segment, on China. Schelling said: "I believe we do not pay enough attention to China. China has a small, well-managed nuclear arsenal, which they never brandished or threatened to use. China does not react well when we treat it as if if were irresponsible. Recently China conducted a test and shot down a satellite, and was criticized for contributing to the militarization of space. What appears not well known in the U.S. is that China has been trying to negotiate treaties on outer space, antisatellite weapons, and limiting the production of fissile material for a number of years, and has not been able to get the U.S. to participate. Since we are clearly developing antisatellite capabilities, accusations against China for escalation are viewed by them and others as hypocritical." Well said. Since I am not in their league, it is vain to say that I could not say it any better. I did, along with my good friend Anonymous, comment in earlier entries (Anonymous, in comment to #314; mine, as #317) that China attempted to interest USA in agreements concerning the outer space and antisatellite missiles, but her efforts were brushed aside. At that time, presumably, China did not have the capability. Now, she has -- at least on a par with USA's. Well, with this, let us say goodbye to the Year of the Dog and welcome, in a few hours' time, the Year of the Pig. (It is already the morning of the New Year's Day of the Year of the Pig.)