As China’s space ambitions grow, NASA tells Congress it needs more money to compete

“China is trying to use its space station to show that it, too, is a space power, and these constant allusions to a space race and concerns about the threat posed by their space station are reinforcing that message,” Weeden said. Thursday’s launch, he said, was “an important achievement, but it does not mean China has equaled, let alone surpassed, the U.S.”