China Warns US Over Weapons in Space
China has criticised the United States after Washington acknowledged deploying weapons in orbit, warning that expanding military activity could turn outer space into a new arena of conflict. Beijing urged the US to avoid accelerating an arms race and to preserve space for peaceful purposes.
China Warns Against Weapons in Outer Space
China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing opposes the weaponisation of outer space and called on Washington to take concrete steps to maintain strategic stability.
The criticism followed an acknowledgement by US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink that the United States possesses “on-orbit space control weapons” intended to protect American forces against hostile actions. Washington has not disclosed the location, design or operational capabilities of the systems.
US Keeps Orbital Weapons Capabilities Secret
Meink said revealing additional details could undermine the deterrent value of the weapons. The US Space Force describes space-control missions as capabilities that can contest or control the space domain through kinetic and non-kinetic methods.
Such technologies could potentially disrupt, degrade or destroy hostile space systems. The disclosure comes as Washington increasingly treats space as a critical military domain because modern forces depend heavily on satellites for navigation, communications, surveillance and missile warning.
Space Arms Race Concerns Intensify
The United States has cited expanding Chinese and Russian counter-space capabilities as a reason for strengthening its own military presence in orbit.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction from being placed in orbit but does not impose a comprehensive ban on conventional space weapons.
The latest US disclosure is therefore likely to intensify international concerns over the militarisation of space and the possibility of an accelerating orbital arms race.
