China and ISS

Russia appears ready to have China join the ISS project. A report in the Russian media has Russia talking to China about joining the 16-nation consortium that owns and operates ISS, but a NASA spokesman denies any offer has been made.

China is an interesting case. It's clearly a major nation. The Chinese economy has become a key factor in the world economy and continues to grow. China, of course, already has a manned space program, too. When the space shuttle is retired, Russia's Soyuz will be the only spacecraft able to ferry crews between Earth and ISS, but China's Shengzhou capsule, which is based on the Soyuz, might serve as a back up. On the other hand, China's human rights record is abysmal. The country is still a police state when the Communist Party decides to crack down. There is no rule of law in the Western sense, and no individual rights. The Chinese leadership is trying to build a modern economy, complete with a huge middle class, without giving the rising wealthy a real say in the governance of the nation-- and their own lives. If that doesn't work, China could be in for a period of instability, which, among other things, would make China's value as a partner in long term space projects questionable.