It could also just have benign economic upsides. Fuel is cheaper than technology, launch can be managed with different parameters than for electronics, refuelling is a useful skill. Not that it doesn't have the risk side military/strategic consequences, more that it has upside benefits to China independently of the perceived downside risk consequences for the USA.
Sometimes a cigar is .. just an cigar. Sometimes China's imperatives point inwards not outwards.
Maybe refuelling is part of their cis lunar strategy?
It could also just have benign economic upsides. Fuel is cheaper than technology, launch can be managed with different parameters than for electronics, refuelling is a useful skill. Not that it doesn't have the risk side military/strategic consequences, more that it has upside benefits to China independently of the perceived downside risk consequences for the USA.
Sometimes a cigar is .. just an cigar. Sometimes China's imperatives point inwards not outwards.
Maybe refuelling is part of their cis lunar strategy?
Maybe not a new skill? China announces successful satellite in-orbit refuelling (2016) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12034479