The head of NASA is calling out the Chinese government. Bill Nelson said China wants to “take over” the moon and build a military base there.

The Chinese call the accusation a smear. However, for the last 10 years, the country’s space program has expanded dramatically, and the country definitely has designs to build a base on the moon. Like so many things in communist China, though, the space program is closely tied to the nation’s militant leaders.

In an interesting twist of life imitating art, the whole scenario is strangely similar to the plot of the Netflix show Space Force.

In the show, “boots on the moon” is a common phrase, as both the U.S. and China vie for scientific and military dominance on the lunar surface. The Space Force, established by President Trump, is also up and running.

What once was the butt of jokes, both real and fictional, could soon become a very real necessity.

China is about to start working on the next phase of its lunar program with the goal of building a base on the moon. The Chinese government is partnering with Russia in its endeavor to expand its space exploration capacity.

NASA officials are sounding the alarm. In an interview last week with German newspaper Bild, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, “We must be very concerned that China is landing on the moon and saying: ‘It’s ours now and you stay out.’”

Zhao Lijian, a spokesman with the Chinese Foreign Ministry said this isn’t the first time the head of NASA has “ignored facts and spoken irresponsibly about China.” Lijian added the Chinese support a shared future for humanity in outer space and oppose any arms race in orbit.

Nelson said China’s space program was a military one, and the Chinese stole ideas and technology from others to advance their own program.

NASA plans to send a crewed mission to the moon’s south pole by 2025. The Chinese hope to send a crewed mission, to the same area, by the end of the decade.