After Chinese scientists were forbidden from entering NASA's facility to attend a conference in October last year, Chinese nationals face the same problem if they want to become a civilian space traveler. Virgin Galactic, which aims to be the first to take civilians into space, said it can't take Chinese passengers from its US base, due to fears over leaks in rocket technology.

Chinese tycoons willing to pay the $250,000 ticket price for a single space flight were told by the British firm that because of the US regulations, tourists "who only have a Chinese passport" will be forbidden to board.

A rocket engine installed on Virgin's craft could be classified as potential military technology according to the 1976 International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which stipulate that people from countries including China, North Korea and Iran can't have access to weapons technology in the US.

Blocking business and invalidating contracts proves that the legacy of the Cold War still haunts many Western nations. In their minds, China is still an "enemy" and precautions must be taken when dealing with it, especially when security issues are involved. 

Since it decided to open up to the world in 1978, China has continued to embrace the world to an increasingly larger extent. Its gigantic market continues to give impetus to world economic growth. Not only China, but the rest of the world, especially the West, which used to belong to a different camp from China in the Cold War, benefits the most.

However, the West's lack of trust in China is incompatible with the surging trade volumes and intensified cultural exchanges between them. Last year saw a few breakthroughs between China and the West in economic and energy cooperation. China was invited by the UK to get involved in the nuclear and telecom industries as well as to help it build a new high-speed rail network. However, this trend will probably stumble if the Cold War mentality still lingers.

Ideology-driven assumptions can hardly find any solid proof, which also makes any precautionary measures groundless and useless.

Rejecting Chinese travelers is a rude and outdated step for the sake of protecting confidential technology. It will jeopardize the company's reputation in this increasingly vigorous market.

Virgin Galactic will be unnecessarily hurt by obeying the obstinate policy of the US. Washington's paranoia has already proven damaging to scientific cooperation. Now it is hurting a business venture.