China’s Beidou: Implications for the Individual and the State

Abstract

China’s satellite navigation system, Beidou, has been elevated from a second-order consideration to a place of prominence in China’s space program. This transformation in national priorities is the result of a convergence of several state goals involving economic development, industrial and technological innovation policies, as well as domestic and external security. The implications of a completed Beidou system are significant for the development and security of the Chinese state and the individual, in both beneficial and disquieting ways.