Nasa bans Chinese nationals from working on its space programs

Nasa has begun barring Chinese nationals with valid visas from joining its programs, underscoring the intensifying space race between the the US and China, The Guardian writes.

The policy shift was first reported by Bloomberg News and confirmed by the US government agency.

“Nasa has taken internal action pertaining to Chinese nationals, including restricting physical and cybersecurity access to our facilities, materials and network to ensure the security of our work,” Nasa press secretary Bethany Stevens said on Wednesday.

According to Bloomberg, Chinese nationals had previously been allowed to work as contractors or students contributing to research, although not as staff.

But on Sept. 5 several individuals told the outlet they were suddenly locked out of IT systems and barred from in-person meetings. They spoke on condition of anonymity.

The move comes amid escalating anti-China rhetoric under President Donald Trump’s administration. The US and China are competing to send crews to the moon.