By Kurtis Archer | 2025-09-05

The second successful launch of China's Long March 12 rocket, which lifted off August 4 from the Hainan spacecraft launch site in Wenchang, was swiftly followed by a rebuke from the Philippines over the danger of falling debris.

In an August 5 statement, Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Año condemned the "irresponsible testing" of the rocket in "no uncertain terms, saying it "alarmed the public and placed the people of Palawan at risk."

While no immediate damage or injury had been reported, Año said, the incident still poses a "clear danger and risk to land areas and to ships, aircrafts and fishing boats and other vessels that will pass through the drop zone."

The Philippine Space Agency had previously warned that potential debris from the rocket's uncontrolled reentry could fall within Philippine maritime zones near the Palawan archipelago.

China's space program has developed rapidly since 1993, when the China National Space Administration (CNSA) was established. But its unpredictable rocket launches and unsafe space activity regularly raise international concern.

Some nations have condemned the launches as risky, saying they challenge space law and international relations and raise environmental concerns.

Space debris

While other spacefaring nations guide discarded stages of their rockets to predictable and safe landings in the ocean, China has allowed core stages of its Long March rockets to make uncontrolled reentries into Earth’s atmosphere.

Over the past five years, a number of highly publicized incidents have drawn significant international scrutiny.

An uncontrolled reentry in May 2020 saw debris from a Chinese Long March 5B rocket landing in the West African nation of Ivory Coast.

In May 2021, debris from the uncontrolled reentry of the core stage of a Chinese Long March 5B rocket splashed down in the Indian Ocean near the Maldives, after its path crossed over several populated areas.

The rocket had been carrying the first module of the Tiangong space station, and was one of the largest objects to re-enter Earth's atmosphere uncontrollably.

The incident drew a sharp rebuke from then-NASA administrator Bill Nelson.

"Spacefaring nations must minimize the risks to people and property on Earth of re-entries of space objects and maximize transparency regarding those operations," Nelson said in a statement.

"It is clear that China is failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris."

In July 2022, space debris experts suggested that mysterious large pieces of wreckage discovered across south-east Asia were parts of China's Long March 5B rocket, Business Insider reported.

And in November 2022, the uncontrolled reentry of a Long March 5B rocket stage from China's Tiangong space station project prompted Spain and other southern European nations to temporarily close parts of their airspace.

Meanwhile, thousands of pieces of debris from a Chinese anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) test in January 2007 are still in orbit.

Lax enforcement

International space law is not equipped to handle the growing problem of space debris and the associated risks, experts say, noting that though there are some treaties in place, enforcement is a complex matter.

China continues to release statements assuring the public that it is prioritizing safety and following international laws and practices.

But the breakup of Chinese rocket stages in orbit has created thousands of pieces of debris, increasing the risk of collisions and also of orbiting junk fragments colliding with each other and generating thousands of new pieces.

The latter is known as the Kessler syndrome.

The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 did not anticipate the modern scale of orbital debris, and there is currently no penalty for leaving hardware in space.

The Space Liability Convention of 1972, which expands on the 1967 accord, makes launching states "internationally liable for damage…by such object or its component parts" on Earth.

This means China could be held financially responsible for damages.

Yet countries may hesitate to press a claim against China due to its power and complex political relationships, and no country has as yet formally invoked the convention against China for launch incidents.