And sadly they're behind even China at this point, which is a bit of a joke if we're honest. ESA is a perfect example for what a bureaucratic monster Europe is

And sadly they're behind even China at this point, which is a bit of a joke if we're honest. ESA is a perfect example for what a bureaucratic monster Europe is these days. With a similar budget as CNSA but no clear vision and goals, the funds have mostly been wasted in recent years. They have the engineers, a good spaceport, the knowledge, etc... everything they'd need. But the stagnating political culture is holding them back. The US went through something similar, but at least with the private spaceflight boom the Americans seem to have snapped out of it.