This is John Patrickler, a conversation with colleague Rick Fisher about the People's Republic of China's plans for near space, low earth, orbit, the Earth moon system, Earth, Mars system, and beyond for the next hundred years.

And the theme is supremacy.

Here, Rick explains.

Supremacy, not science fiction.

More of this tonight.

Oh, John, they're bending metal.

The latest indications from Chinese state media late last week was that as part of the upcoming 15th five-year plan,

China Aerospace Science and Technology Company will begin preliminary studies, feasibility studies,

for the beginning parts of implementing this plan.

And the plan itself is at least six years old. We're in a

classic tortoise and hair scenario, whereas the Chinese Communist Party has a grand plan for

hegemony on Earth. And long ago, it decided that in order to

ensure its hegemony on Earth, it required hegemony in space. And that is control of the Earth

Moon system and eventually control of the Earth-Moon Mars system. But according to this plan, Tian Gong Kauai, that hegemony has to extend

as well through the known solar system.