Beijing Calls US Most Powerful Space Militarization Driving Force, Biggest Security Threat
© AP Photo / Mark Schiefelbein
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BEIJING (Sputnik) - The United States is the most powerful driving force of space militarization and the biggest threat to space security, the Chinese Foreign Ministry told Sputnik on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported that a senior Pentagon official accused Russia of gearing up to deploy a nuclear weapon in space. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb, in turn, said in congressional testimony on Wednesday that China and Russia have "militarized" space. Russia, in particular, "developing a concerning anti-satellite capability related to a new satellite carrying a nuclear device that Russia is [also] developing," according to Plumb.
"The United States is a powerful driving force of space militarization and turning it into battlefield, as well as the biggest threat to space security," the ministry said.
Washington has long been repeating an old theory about alleged space threat posed by China, but this is only a way to justify the expansion of its military power, the ministry added.
"The US openly defines outer space as a territory of combat, actively developing military capabilities in space and provoke confrontation between major powers," the ministry said, adding that China urges the United States to stop spreading false statements and building up weapons in space.
