New Delhi: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) administrator Bill Nelson has accused China of stealing American spacecraft designs, military secrets, medical research, and much more, ANI reported while quoting a report in The Singapore Post. Nelson had given out this testimony at the House Appropriations Committee hearing on May 17 in reply to Alabama representative Robert Aderholt who questioned what steps have the American space agency taken 'to secure American research and development' after noticing similarities between the US and Chinese spacecraft.


"Yeah, they're pretty good at stealing, And I think that's incumbent upon us to take cybersecurity very, very seriously," Nelson said.


"We simply cannot ignore the threat from China and our adversaries who are making technological, manufacturing, and exploration advancements daily," The Singapore Post quoted Aderholt as saying.


"For far too long, we have allowed China and other adversaries to challenge our space dominance and their ambitions only continue to grow," he said adding, "The US needs a clear vision that could last across administrations to dictate its space policy more effectively, as a matter of national defence," the report further quoted Aderholt as saying.


Notably, the US government has advised the private industry that China is engaged in a committed effort to illicitly acquire critical and emerging technologies in every sector of the US economy, particularly those vital to its military modernization efforts, the Singapore Post reported.


Referring to the US government's advisory to the private industry regarding Chin trying to 'illicitly acquire critical and emerging technologies in every sector of the US economy', Aderholt termed the US technologies required for achieving political dominance in space as the precious commodity of the country.


Bill Nelson, responding to Aderholt said, "I believe we are in, and I have said this publicly before I think we're in a space race with China," adding that this will define the world's strategic and military situation for decades to come.


Meanwhile, China's The Global Times quoted, an academician of the International Academy of Astronautics, Deng Yulin, Bill Nelson's false accusation exposed the NASA chief's double standards.


"The allegation of NASA's chief is not only unreasonable but also certain to be laughed at by history," said another expert.


(With ANI Inputs)