I wouldn't be entirely surprised if there wasn't a group in NASA/big Aerospace targeting reporters with ready made PR articles based on these scare tactics. The totally bogus idea that anyone is nearly as advanced as the US in space or is about to surpass them has been floated ever since China started to do anthing in space. China is 30 years behind the US and is not going to catch up anytime soon.

We should not do anything in space that is not justified on its own merits. Justifying any decision based on "race" mentality will lead to bad decisions, because there is no "race." But it makes for easy understandable PR to worry the public that if we don't fund space, we will fall behind China or Russia (or India?lol). Those that know me on this board know that I've eviscerated NASA on many of their decisions about the Shuttle and ISS, and I certainly hope NASA has no role in propagating this propaganda about a "race."

As far as journalistic competence, it is not just science on which they are incompetent. I just shake my head at conclusions reached based on "government studies." Usually, some statistical fact is interpreted to imply stuff, for which any thinking person could come up with 10 other more plausible explanantions.