So, it turns out the third U.S.-China Civil Space Dialogue was held quietly in Beijing late last month, with space exploration & multilateral cooperation among the issues discussed.
Beijing quietly hosted the third China-US Civil Space Dialogue on November 30, with the two sides exchanging plans for human and robotic space exploration, and discussing engagement through multilateral mechanisms.
The meeting was co-chaired by Tian Yulong, secretary-general of China National Space Administration (CNSA), and Jonathan Margolis, assistant secretary of state of the US Department of State.
In an email, a State Department official informed gbtimes.com that "the delegations discussed ways to improve bilateral cooperation on spaceflight safety issues and shared their respective plans for human and robotic space exploration, and support for commercial space activities. In earth and space science, existing cooperation was emphasized, including the strong work of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and China's Meteorological Administration, where free and open data sharing has yielded improved weather forecasting capabilities.
"Both nations also discussed constructively engaging in space-related multilateral mechanisms, including participation in the Charter on Space and Natural Disasters, and the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space."
In a CNSA press note published on its website, it was also stated that discussions on multilateral engagement explicitly named the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) as a forum in which strengthened cooperation on lunar exploration and Mars exploration exchanges could take place. Space debris was another issue highlighted.
The dialogue was devised during the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in 2015 in order to establish "regular bilateral government consultations on civil space cooperation".
The first dialogue was held in Beijing in 2015 and the second in Washington in 2016
NASA ban on engaging China
The dialogue between the State Department and CNSA is an initiative designed to facilitate exchanges between China and the United States on a range of space-related issues, working around and filling a void created by an effective US Congressional ban on NASA dealing with Chinese entities.
As Marcia S Smith of spacepolicyonline.com observed upon the establishment of the dialogue, NASA and the and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy are prohibited from expending any funds to "develop, design, plan, promulgate, implement, or execute a bilateral policy, program, order, or contract of any kind to participate, collaborate, or coordinate bilaterally in any way with China or any Chinese-owned company." The prohibition was inserted in 2011 by Rep. Frank Wolf, then Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, into the appropriations bills that fund NASA, and has since been retained.
Charles Bolden, then NASA Administrator, attended the 2016 edition of the dialogue having received advanced approval from Congress in accordance with the so-called 'Wolf Clause'.
Earlier this year, the President of the United States revived the National Space Council, a body that will seek to oversee to some extent and to direct America's space activities. Should it decide, under the leadership of Vice-President Mike Pence, to pursue cooperation with China, the Congressional barriers would first need to be removed.
China has been effectively barred from joining the International Space Station (ISS) project due to US objections, citing possible technology transfer to a Chinese space programme which is entwined with the country's military, as well as concerns over espionage and human rights abuses.
At the same time, proponents of cooperation with China state the need for dialogue on issues including the long-term sustainability of the space environment as human reliance and use of outer space grows, which cannot be dealt with by nations individually, and also state that US policy options are diminished by the current stance.
China, which will start constructing its own large modular space station around 2019, is one of two nations, along with Russia, currently capable of independent human spaceflight and has made large strides in space technology in recent times and would be capable of contributing launch services, technology and modules for major projects.
The European Space Agency has designated China a strategic partner and possible future partner in human spaceflight, while Russia also has close ties to China in a range of space-related fields.
It is unclear if there will be Chinese participation in the possible next major international space project, the Deep Space Gateway.