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Researchers prepare to weigh Chang'e-6 lunar samples during a returner opening ceremony at the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in Beijing, capital of China, June 26, 2024. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

US think tank Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has released a new report, urging Trump administration and US Congress to adopt a comprehensive strategy to maintain the country's leadership in space, while recommending the establishment of a direct communication hotline with China to reduce the risk of miscalculation in orbit. 

According to the Spacenews.com, the report titled "Securing Space: A Plan for US Action" was released on US local time Tuesday, and it highlights so-called "mounting threats, including anti-satellite weapons, the proliferation of space debris, and growing competition from China."

Authored by a CFR task force led by retired US Space Force Lt Gen. Nina Armagno and former US Rep Jane Harman, the report stresses the need for Washington to prioritize space policy at the highest levels of government, per the report. 

The CFR report acknowledges China has rapidly expanded its space capabilities in recent years and calls for pragmatic engagement with Beijing, recommending the establishment of a direct communication hotline to reduce the risk of miscalculation in orbit, it said, while warning that the US risks a "Sputnik moment" if it does not act decisively.

The Sputnik moment is a Cold War term, which is a reference to the Soviet Union's launch of the first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite Sputnik 1 in 1957 which caught the US unprepared.

However, Chinese military expert Zhang Junshe told the Global Times on Wednesday that the main purpose of the US report proposing establishing a space communication channel with China is still driven by the consideration of maintaining US dominance in space. 

Zhang noted that in recent years, the US has been the first to treat space as a domain of warfare, establishing the Space Force and accelerating space militarization and weaponization, which seriously threatens space security.

Although hotline mechanism itself could be helpful in reducing strategic misjudgment, the true intent behind such US push is very questionable. Washington could take advantage of such a hotline to continue to spread "China threat" rhetoric and closely monitor China's space operations rather than conduct communication based on equal footing, Song Zhongping, another military expert told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

The sense of insecurity of the US in the space domain stems from its own behavior and ambition, Song noted. "The US possesses the world's strongest space power while it is also the largest contributor to orbital debris accumulation. Its space accusation against China is completely baseless."