US defence agency report on Chinese space programme is smokescreen to hide arms race, Beijing says
- China’s foreign ministry says if the US is worried about the militarisation of space, it should talk about arms development controls
Beijing has hit back at US claims that China’s space programme is a threat, dismissing the assertion as groundless and accusing America of allowing its fears to be used as an excuse for an arms race.
The Chinese foreign ministry responded after the US Defence Intelligence Agency claimed China was developing sophisticated space capabilities to use as weapons against American satellites.
“We are aware that the US Defence Intelligence Agency has made reckless comments about China’s space development. These are totally groundless,” ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday. “China has long advocated the peaceful use of outer space and opposes militarisation and an arms race in space.”
Hua said that if the US is serious about space security, it should work with China to control arms development.
In “Challenges to Security in Space”, released on Monday, the US agency said China and Russia had taken steps to challenge the US. It said both nations viewed space as an important facet of military planning and strategy.
The report said both countries were developing jamming and cyberspace capabilities, directed energy weapons, orbital capabilities, and ground-based anti-satellite missiles that could achieve a range of reversible to permanent effects.