China’s Foreign Ministry published a ten-point position on outer space governance on October 23, 2026. The document sets out the government’s preferences for international cooperation, commercial-space oversight, security, and the role of the United Nations. It is a policy position rather than a new treaty or a domestic licensing regulation.
The statement calls for states to supervise commercial space activity and opposes the use of commercial systems for unlawful interference. It also supports sharing information about launches, possible collisions, and reentering objects. These provisions concern both who is responsible for an activity and what operational information should be exchanged.
The paper places the United Nations at the center of international space governance and seeks greater participation by developing countries. It advocates equitable access, international cooperation, and a legally binding instrument intended to prevent an arms race in outer space. It also identifies on-orbit servicing, deep-space exploration, and asteroid defense as areas for innovation and cooperation.
The commercial-supervision language has an existing legal foundation. Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty assigns states international responsibility for national space activities, including those conducted by nongovernmental organizations. Such activities require authorization and continuing supervision by the appropriate state. The treaty establishes that responsibility without prescribing one universal licensing agency or a single national administrative system.
The United Nations’ legal history of the treaty explains this treatment of government and nongovernment activity. A privately operated mission can remain a matter of international state responsibility. Commercial ownership does not place an activity outside the treaty’s framework.
The distinction between existing obligations and proposed rules is also relevant to the security language. Advocacy for another international agreement is a negotiating position. Publishing that preference does not create the agreement or bind other governments to it.
China’s earlier position on space-resource activities similarly emphasized compliance with the Outer Space Treaty, state supervision, and international coordination. That earlier discussion concerned resource activities specifically. The October 2026 paper extends the policy discussion across commercial operations, information sharing, security, and institutional participation.
Implementation would require action in the relevant forum. National supervision operates through domestic authorities; international agreements require negotiation and acceptance; operational information sharing requires arrangements among participating organizations. The document states China’s preferred direction for those processes rather than replacing them with a new set of enforceable global rules.
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