China denies space arms race after satellite shot down

CHINA has played down fears of a military space race after US spy agencies said it had shot down a satellite for the first time, drawing condemnation from Washington and its Asian allies.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, while declining to confirm the incident, said other countries should not be alarmed.

“There’s no need to feel threatened about this. So far we have not got any confirmed information about this,” said Liu Jianchao, adding that China had no intention of triggering an arms race in space.

Washington said China fired a missile to destroy an orbiting weather satellite last week, making it the third country after the US and the former Soviet Union to shoot down anything in space.

If confirmed, the test would mean China could theoretically shoot down spy satellites operated by other nations.

The ageing Chinese weather satellite was hit on January 11 and may have left considerable debris behind, a US official said.

“The United States believes China’s development and testing of such weapons is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation that both countries aspire to in the civil space area,” said US national security spokesman, Gordon Johndroe.

Japan, which has long been concerned at China’s rapidly growing military spending, joined the US in condemnation.