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Abstract

Launching service trade and trade in missiles and missile technology are two typical commercial aspects of space activities. Trade liberalization and security concerns are the key issues dealt with by governmental regulatory works. This article will analyze the legal framework and basic rules of China’s governmental regulation as well as their implementation, shedding lights on the interaction between China’s domestic regulation practices, foreign legislation and international standards. This article considers that governmental regulations on commercial aspects of space activities among space faring states have a common policy-driven character. China contends the unjust governmental regulations impeding liberal trade – particularly U.S. export control regime – and claims that it complies with international standards on non-proliferation. In the absence of multilateral regime governing trade relating to space activities, divergences arising from governmental regulations can only be narrowed through bilateral or unilateral means. As an emerging space faring state which actively engages in trade relating to space activities, China needs to demonstrate that it is a reliable and trustworthy member of the international community. For that purpose, more efforts should be made in order to guarantee the enforcement of the regulation rules, creating in turn a transparent and predictable legal context beneficial to China’s own business.

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