China urges US to 'stop preparing for war in outer space'

BEIJING, Sept 15: China urged the United States on Tuesday to "stop preparing for war" in space, after the US Space Force confirmed it had deployed weapons into orbit for the first time.

Beijing and Washington are key geopolitical rivals and have long sought to expand their interests -- and strategic footprints -- in space.

The US Space Force said on Monday that it had deployed "on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending... against hostile adversary action", without providing specifics.

China's foreign ministry opposed the move, warning against the "weaponisation of outer space, turning it into a battlefield, as well as an arms race there".

"We urge the US side to stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for war in outer space," ministry spokesman GuoJiakun told a news briefing.

The US Space Force singled out China as a threat in its announcement, saying Beijing "develops and operates space and counterspace capabilities as part of a military modernization strategy".

Meanwhile, Russia called Tuesday for weapons to be kept out of space, after the US Space Force confirmed it had deployed "on-orbit space control weapons" for the first time.

"We believe that space must be free of any weapon," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"We are counting on broad international consolidation to continue working toward the complete demilitarisation of space," he added.

Russia's ally China also on Tuesday slammed Washington's move, and urged the United States to "stop preparing for war in outer space".

The United States confirmed on Monday it had weapons deployed for the first time.

"The US has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action," a US Space Force spokesperson said in a statement that did not provide specifics on the weapons.

"Space control encapsulates the mission areas required to contest and control the space domain -- employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary capabilities," the statement said, adding that "these capabilities can be employed for offensive and defensive purposes."�"AFP