China's Space Law: Rushing to the Finish Line of its Marathon.

Abstract There is no space law in China meaning the law is disproportionally under-developed in comparison with China's space capabilities and legislation in other nations. A mixture of historical, political, legal, and bureaucratic reasons accounts for this absence. Space law was incorporated into the 5-year legislation plan of National People's Congress in 2013. There has been a growing consensus on the necessity and importance of the enactment of a space law because of the new emphasis on the rule of law and the increasing need to implement international obligations, to improve governance and transparency for international cooperation, and to regulate activities and investment conducted by unconventional actors. The legislation model and its main regulatory regimes have become clear after years of discussion, and the major controversy of this law is whether and how to regulate the military participation in space activities and streamline the governance structure, to which the recent military reformation could provide some clues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]