Rules Game and Future Development of the Preventing an Arms Race in Outer Space

For years, the United States has resisted the negotiation of a binding instrument on outer space arms control through procedural confrontation. The draft Treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Space, the Threat or Use of Force Against Space Objects (PPWT) proposed by China and Russia met with strong opposition from the United States. China and Russia have also tried to set up a group of governmental experts on "Further Practical Measures to Prevent an Arms Race in Outer Space" through the UN General Assembly resolution to advance the substantive negotiations on the above-mentioned instruments. In recent years, the United States and its western allies have attempted to begin to negotiate the "norms of responsible space behavior" with the intention of establishing international rules that undermine the rights and interests of China and Russia in outer space. The so-called "norms of responsible space behavior" based on political considerations may establish "standards" that are inconsistent with existing international law, and the so-called "space threat" has its legitimacy and legality under existing international law. The gap between the two camps will not be easily bridged, and intense political jockeying, both procedural and rule-based, will continue for the foreseeable future.