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US accuses China and Russia of undermining space peace push
- Comment came as China, Russia and US joined space peace talks in Geneva
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The US on Tuesday accused China and Russia of raising the risk of conflict in space, notably by developing anti-satellite weapons, as diplomats held talks on a treaty to keep space peaceful.
The closed-door negotiations in Geneva involving experts from 25 governments – including the US, China and Russia – are aimed at laying the groundwork for a legally-binding text to prevent an arms race in outer space.
Beijing and Moscow pushed for the discussions that run through March 28, which experts have said may show results despite the grim climate for disarmament diplomacy.
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But addressing the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, US assistant secretary of state Yleem Poblete questioned whether China and Russia were sincerely committed to the talks.
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Poblete accused Beijing of developing a range of anti-satellite capabilities, including jammers and ground-based missiles intended to target “low-Earth-orbit satellites”.
Given that, “it is difficult to determine the truthfulness of China’s concern about the prevention of an arms race in space”, she said.
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