Proceedings of the Workshop - United Nations Office for Outer ...

As this workshop focuses on the implementation of space law, especially the universalapplication of the United Nations treaties and principles on outer space, let me take thisopportunity to outline what we have done in China in this field.In June 1980, China dispatched an observer delegation to the 23rd Meeting of the UNCommittee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space (COPUOS) for the first time, and on November 3,1980, China became a member State of this committee. Since then, China has participated in allthe meetings of COPUOS. In 1983 and 1988, China acceded to the four core UN treaties on spacelaw: the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use ofOuter Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies on 30 December 1983; theAgreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of ObjectsLaunched into Outer Space on 14 December 1988; the Convention on International Liability forDamage Caused by Space Objects on 12 December 1988; and the Convention on Registration ofObjects Launched into Outer Space on 12 December. 1988.On the domestic space legislation side, efforts were initiated around 1994. Nevertheless,more comprehensive work on China’s space legislation went ahead only after 1998, when theChinese government carried out reform on the administration system of industries. China’sNational Space Administration (CNSA), as the competent authority for national space industryand civil space activities, is responsible for preparing space legislation, formulating policies forspace industry and technology, making plans for space development and setting standards in thisarea.In order to implement the treaties on space law to which China has become a party, andpromote its national space efforts, CNSA joined by other government agencies concerned,undertook studies on space law legislation in China, through which a general regulatoryframework and sound legal regime would be set up.Space legislation is among the highest priorities on the agenda of the CNSA and a specialtask force is established for this purpose, drawing on expertise from space law professors, expertofficials from related government agencies as well as people from the space and space-relatedindustries. In the meantime, some institutional regulations or single directives were elaboratedsuch as the “Provisions and Procedures for the Registration of Space Objects”, “InterimProvisions on Licenses for Civil Space Launching Projects”, as well as “Provisional Regulationon Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects”. On 8 February2001, “Provisions andProcedures for the Registration of Space Objects” was officially pronounced in the form of aninstitutional regulation and entered into force on that very day. On the licensing of spacelaunching projects, China adopted the “Interim Provisions on Licenses for Civil Space LaunchingProjects” on November 21, 2002. The “Provisional Regulation on Liability for Damage Causedby Space Objects” has been placed on the agenda of this year.As it is known to all, China’s first manned space mission Shen Zhou V safely returned tothe Earth last month. During a live television broadcast from 340 kilometres above the Earth, Mr.Yang Liwei, the astronaut commanding the spacecraft, displayed a small-size flag of the UnitedNations along with a flag of China. This is to demonstrate China’s firm commitment to exploringand using outer space for peaceful purposes and for the well being of the whole of mankind.