TAIPEI (Reuters) – China is constructing capabilities that put most U.S. space assets in danger, and China sees the domain as crucial to their military strategy, the pinnacle of the U.S. Space Command said on Friday.
Historically lagging in an area dominated by america and Russia, Beijing has made significant advances in recent times which have alarmed Washington and other Western nations, including testing an anti-satellite missile in 2007.
U.S. Army General James H. Dickinson, commander of U.S. Space Command, told reporters on a teleconference from Hawaii that such ASAT, or anti-satellite, tests congest space with debris.
“They proceed to construct and construct capabilities that actually, quite frankly, hold most of our assets in danger within the space domain. It truly is an advancement in the event you will of their capabilities,” he said, referring to China. “Their understanding (is) that space is a vital piece to not only their economic or the worldwide economic environment but in addition the military environment. We proceed to look at that very closely as they proceed to extend capabilities.”
China says its space programme is for peaceful purposes.
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Three Chinese astronauts landed on earth on Sunday onboard the re-entry capsule of the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft, state broadcaster CCTV reported, ending a six-month mission on China’s space station.
The station represents a big milestone in China’s three-decade crewed space programme, first approved in 1992. It also flags the beginning of everlasting Chinese habitation in space.
Dickinson said his command, together with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, was focused on the challenge from China.
“A unified stance by allies and partners is critical to countering the coercion and subversion that threatens the international rules-based order here within the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” he said.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
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