Mars Landing Showcases China’s Technological Advance
May 17, 2021
China recently landed a spacecraft on Mars, becoming only the second nation to land a functioning craft—in this case, a rover the size of a small car—on the planet’s surface. China’s president hailed the event as “an important step in our country’s interplanetary exploration journey.” In Issues, Sylvia Schwaag Serger and her colleagues offer an even broader look at China’s increasing contributions—and ambitions—in science and technology. They write that by finding ways to cooperate with China, the United States—indeed, the world—will benefit. But they also see challenges, including China’s uneven willingness to follow generally accepted norms of science.