A prominent economist has suggested that China's space sector could achieve a "major breakthrough" by strengthening its satellite infrastructure.
The company raised US$75 billion upon its public listing on Friday, making its CEO Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire.
However, Shen Yingchun, a professor at Beihang University, told Beijing Daily: "China does not need to and cannot replicate SpaceX."
She noted that "the US model's advantage lies in efficiency," leveraging market forces to reduce costs and drive corporate innovation.
Shen explained that China's commercial space industry is pursuing a distinct path, prioritizing the expansion of satellite networks before focusing on cost reduction.
"The Chinese model's advantage is scale—using national determination to pool resources and systematically tackle issues like infrastructure, standard-setting, and risk sharing, areas where markets often fall short," Shen said.
She added that once this infrastructure is established, China's space industry would have the opportunity to "take a significant leap forward" in fields such as smart city development and the low-altitude economy.