CHINA'S SPACE PROGRAMME - BORN OUT OF NATIONAL NEEDS, POISED TO SUPPORT GLOBAL PROGRESS

The 21^st century is believed to become the Asian century. In the last decade China has introduced several economic and political initiatives which promote its rise as a global power. Embedded in its development and rise is the national space programme. Western observers tend to look at China's space programme as being small, slow, technologically less advanced, and not significant enough. Is that correctly reflected or what is it then? Is China's space programme able to support not only national advancement in science and technology but also support global societal progress? Which role does the New Silk Road project (One Belt – One Road, BRI) play in this process? How is space technology, embodied in the “Belt and Road Space Information Corridor”, supporting the concept of a “community of shared future for mankind” and can it drive global solutions for society? The author, through consulting open-source information and performing in-depth analyses, looks to find qualified answers to these questions and will show how China – which until not so long ago was a developing country – has used science, technology and in particular space as a tool, as a strategic instrument for the comprehensive development of the society and economy. These facts and processes could be of importance for Serbia as well as South-East Europe.