China is actively pursuing the establishment of its first overseas launch site, a proposed equatorial spaceport in Malaysia. This initiative carries substantial strategic, economic, and geopolitical weight. The China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) recently signed a letter of intent with the Pahang State Development Corporation (PKNP) and Lestari Angkasa Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian private company, signaling a significant step forward. The project, dubbed the Pahang International Spaceport, is projected to generate over 2,000 jobs and stimulate economic growth in tourism and research.
The proposed spaceport's near-equatorial location (around 3-4 degrees north latitude) offers significant advantages. Launching near the equator leverages the Earth’s rotational speed, resulting in heavier payloads and more efficient fuel consumption. Completion is estimated within three to five years, according to Bernama, a Malaysian state-owned news agency, quoting Datuk Mohamad Nizar Najib, chairman of the state Investment, Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee. A delegation will visit Wenchang Space City in Hainan in May for further discussions.
Bleddyn Bowen, an associate professor of Astropolitics at Durham University, highlights the project’s potential impact. New launch facilities could alleviate bottlenecks in China’s space access, offering options for commercial and civil missions. The spaceport could also contribute to China’s lunar ambitions. The project signifies China's trust in Malaysia as a regional partner and its confidence in managing a large-scale spaceport and associated logistics outside its borders. This also underscores China’s expanding global ambitions in space, extending its launch infrastructure beyond mainland China for the first time.
However, geographical challenges exist, including airline flight paths, shipping lanes, and overflight considerations, particularly concerning Indonesia. The spaceport would also have regional implications, becoming the first in Southeast Asia. Bowen notes the existing rivalry between Malaysia and Indonesia, with Indonesia also actively pursuing its own space policy.
A joint statement issued during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Malaysia affirmed the potential for strengthened space cooperation, emphasizing peaceful uses of outer space, enhanced capabilities, space economy development, technological advancement, and national security. China's launch cadence has significantly increased in recent years, reaching a national record of 68 launches in 2024, though short of the planned 100. Further expansion is underway, including new commercial space pads at Wenchang and facilities for crewed lunar missions. Other proposed commercial spaceports, like a previously considered project in Djibouti, highlight China's active pursuit of global space infrastructure development.