This is John Batcher, conversation with colleague Brendan Weichert, author of Winning in Space,

about the Chinese-Russian opportunities on the southern hemisphere of the moon around the south Pole. The question is, do you possess it if you

build there? The Moon Treaty and the Outer Space Treaty both suggests not for all mankind. However, Brendan has a very pithy response

to the idea that you can't own on the moon. This is a race to the moon and beyond. The buildup, the

colonies, the exploitation, the minerals. Brandon Weichert, winning in space.

Yeah, well, so the first thing is the Moon Treaty of 1979 was the big one.

The United States did not abrogate, did not accept that treaty, nor did the Chinese.

The Chinese are not signatories and ultimately the Soviet Union and therefore the Russians

did not accept the final version of that treaty.

And now you're right, there's competing Artemis Accords in the Chinese version ultimately it doesn't matter because it's all about capabilities if you can get there

Then you can do whatever you want whoever gets there first is going to set the standard.

China's already showing us with the Russians what they will do if they get to the moon.

They will claim the best real estate.

They will annex it just like they're doing in the South China

sea and they will milk it for its resources and then also use it for strategic

advantages over the earth below detail I call them rubber duckies but but they call them Jade rabbits. Were you impressed by that technology? More of this later.