On May 20, 2025, Trump unveiled the $175 billion “Golden Dome” missile defense system, aiming for full deployment by January 2029. The first $25 billion will be proposed in next year’s budget, pending Congressional approval. Designed to counter ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, “Golden Dome” immediately drew global attention—including from China. Here’s a round-up of how different parties in China perceive the project.

Beijing’s Official Stance: Expressing Serious Concern

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly issued a statement, expressing grave concern over the initiative. It pointed out that the plan openly calls for a substantial expansion of space-based combat capabilities, including the deployment of orbital interceptor systems—moves that carry strong offensive implications and violate the peaceful use of outer space as advocated by the Outer Space Treaty. The Ministry criticized the system as an attempt to establish a “global, unconstrained” missile defense network, posing a direct threat to global strategic stability. Beijing urged Washington to abandon such plans and emphasized the need to “enhance strategic trust among major powers through concrete actions.”

Leading Geopolitics Expert: Questionable Strategic Goals, Insufficient Defense Capabilities, and a Cover for Redistributing Interests

Shen Yi, a renowned professor at Fudan University, views the “Golden Dome” as a political and economic tool used by Trump to manipulate security narratives and reallocate domestic interests. The United States’ current manufacturing and defense industrial base cannot meet the demands of the “Golden Dome” system. He outlined five key concerns:

1.A Political Posturing:

Shen sees “Golden Dome” as a rebranded “Star Wars 2.0,” claiming to intercept missiles during their boost phase—a highly aggressive approach. In reality, he argues, such systems function more as instruments of deterrence, coercion, and political posturing than as deployable defensive networks.

2.Costs Will Far Exceed Budget Estimates:

Shen dismisses the figure as “entirely unrealistic.” Reagan’s original “Star Wars” program consumed hundreds of billions—eventually projected at over a trillion dollars—and never became fully operational. Today, with America’s weakened manufacturing base and defense industrial capacity, the necessary technologies, facilities, and supply chains are no longer adequate to support such a project.

3.Technical Infeasibility and the Worsening of the Security Dilemma:

Modern technology has long proven that deploying a global missile defense system leads to severe strategic instability. It worsens the “security dilemma”—the more one side seeks to protect itself, the more it alarms the other side, ultimately undermining security. Both China and Russia have already expressed concerns, explicitly naming the potential “Golden Dome” project in previous joint statements.

4.Provocation Against China and Russia:

Shen warns that such a system would only push China and Russia to accelerate their own space strategies and hypersonic weapons programs. “By the time the U.S. manages to build its ‘Golden Dome,’ China may well have developed a more advanced planetary defense system.”

5. Spoils of Defense Spending:

Finally, Shen argues that the project is likely a pretext for domestic wealth redistribution—diverting funds from social welfare to military spending under the guise of a “technological defense initiative.” “Rather than a strategic project,” he concludes, “Trump’s plan should be seen as a political one.”

Military Expert: Overly Complex System, Weak Foundation and an Unrealistic Timeline

Military expert Wei Dongxu also highlighted the immense technical challenges facing the “Golden Dome” initiative. He emphasized three key points:

1.High System Complexity and Difficult Integration:

The project requires not only space-based missile defense capabilities but also significant upgrades to existing interceptor systems. “To defend against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and hypersonic weapons, ‘Golden Dome’ must achieve comprehensive, multi-layered interception. Building such a system is extremely complex, and many core technologies still require extensive testing before breakthroughs can be made.”

2.Key Technologies Remain Unachieved:

The most difficult part of the “Golden Dome” system lies in deploying new missile early-warning satellites in orbit.

First, these satellites must be developed from scratch. They must not only track ballistic missiles with precision but also accurately detect and identify hypersonic weapons. At present, U.S. defense contractors are still tackling major technical hurdles, with no fully developed solutions.

Second, the system must include space-based interceptor weapons capable of engaging intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) or hypersonic missiles in exoatmospheric space. Developing such weapons is not only extremely expensive, but ensuring their long-term presence in orbit and immediate combat readiness presents enormous technical challenges.

3. Three-Year Timeline Is Pure Fantasy:

“For the U.S. to build a space-based missile early-warning and interception system with real combat capabilities within three years would be an overwhelming challenge for any American defense contractor or weapons manufacturer,” Wei said. “A timeline of three years simply cannot deliver an operational deployment.”

Public Sentiment: Skeptical Netizens Dismiss It as a Political Stunt or “PowerPoint Project”

On Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo, Zhihu, and Bilibili, many Chinese netizens mocked Trump, saying that “The King of Knowing is cosplaying Reagan again.” Some representative comments include:

•“In the past 20 years, the U.S. hasn’t completed one single major project—whether in defense, infrastructure, or public services. And now they want to pull this off in three years with $25 billion? Might as well believe I’m the First Emperor of Qin.”

•“What serious large-scale project has the U.S. completed in the last two decades? They’ve been tinkering with the F-35 for decades, and the F-47 is still a ghost.”

•“Honestly, I’m a bit worried Chinese scientists might take the PowerPoint too seriously—who knows, they might actually end up building a planetary defense system by accident.”

Some netizens even dug up data on the U.S. National Missile Defense system, pointing out that since 1999 its test success rate has only been around 55%, dropping to 50% in recent years. Launching a global space shield without solid testing results, they argue, feels more like a high-tech fireworks display for the election campaign than a serious defense initiative.

Conclusion: “The Emperor’s New Clothes” or the Start of a New Cold War?

From experts to everyday users, the dominant tone on the Chinese internet is of skepticism of the “Golden Dome” plan. Its technical infeasibility, strategic destabilization, and massive fiscal burden make it look more like a “Star Wars 2.0” publicity stunt for Trump’s re-election campaign than a truly deployable military system.

For China, however, the plan serves as a warning shot. Realized or not, the strategic message it sends and the technological path it outlines merit serious attention and a calculated response.

Editor: LQQ