ISTANBUL

NASA has barred Chinese nationals with US visas from working on its programs amid tensions and escalating competition between Washington and Beijing in space exploration, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

Chinese nationals have been blocked from accessing the agency's data systems and participating in NASA meetings, in-person and virtually, sources speaking anonymously told the news outlet. The restrictions also include physical access to facilities.

"NASA has taken internal action pertaining to Chinese nationals, including restricting physical and cybersecurity access to our facilities, materials, and network to ensure the security of our work," said NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens, confirming the actions.

The decision comes amid growing concerns in Washington about China's advancing lunar and space capabilities. China aims to surpass the US and become the leading space power as it pursues satellite navigation, lunar landers and crewed spaceflight technology.

The Senate Commerce Committee held hearings Sept. 3, where a bipartisan group of senators urged the establishment of a sustainable American lunar presence before China deploys taikonauts to the moon.

But White House has proposed drastic 24% cuts to NASA's budget, potentially hampering US space ambitions amid the intensifying competition with China.