RE: Helium-3 in Moon dust13 Sep 2022 00:10
While no country can claim ownership of the moon, Article I(opens in new tab) of the Outer Space Treaty allows any state to explore and use outer space and celestial bodies. China will not be the only visitor(opens in new tab) to the South Pole of the moon in the near future. The U.S.-led Artemis Accords(opens in new tab) is a group of 20 countries(opens in new tab) that has plans to return humans to the moon by 2025, which will include the establishment of a research station on the lunar surface and a supporting space station in orbit called the Gateway with a planned launch in November 2024(opens in new tab).
Even if no country can legally claim sovereignty over the moon, it is possible that China, or any other country, would attempt to gradually establish de facto control over strategically important areas through a strategy known as "salami slicing(opens in new tab)." This practice involves taking small, incremental steps to achieve a big change: Individually, those steps do not warrant a strong response, but their cumulative effect adds up to significant developments and increased control. China has recently been using this strategy in the South and East China seas(opens in new tab). Still, such a strategy takes time and can be addressed.
https://www.space.com/why-china-will-not-hijack-moon#:~:text=China%20is%20limited%20by%20international,against%20current%20international%20space%20law.