China advocates the "complete prohibition and thorough destruction of all kinds of weapons of mass destruction," the China Daily said, citing Sha Zukang, the country's top arms control official.

"That's why China is opposed to the development and deployment of the National Missile Defense program, which may undermine the global strategic balance and stability," he said.

The likely result of the US decision to go ahead with the missile defense is an Asian arms race, with China taking the lead, according to observers.

"China will take the logical next step and modernize its missiles and increase their numbers," said Paul Harris, an observer of US foreign policy at Hong Kong's Lingnan University.

China's foreign ministry Thursday suggested that China could indeed take steps to expand its missile capabilities.

"China will make the necessary military deployments in accordance with its national defense needs," Liu Jianchao, the ministry's spokesman, told reporters when asked if China might increase its number of missiles.

China has about 20 missiles capable of hitting the US west coast, and has deployed hundreds of medium-range missiles near Taiwan, an island it claims as its own and has vowed to retake, by force if necessary.

If it were to increase its arsenal it could incite neighboring countries to boost their militaries too, observers said.

"The incentive for an arms race will grow," said Zhu Feng, a security expert at Peking University.

China has more at stake than perhaps any other major power because the US plans could wipe out whatever political clout it currently gets from its still limited missile force.

"China is much more worried about the system than Russia, since it is one of the weaker nuclear powers," said Zhu.

Sha, China's permanent representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, urged the "abnegation of double standards," without elaborating what he meant.

He said nuclear proliferation could be prevented through "improvement of the international and regional security environment," the paper reported.

The Chinese reaction came after Russia expressed "regret" at the US plans. Canada called any continuation of the project a "bad mistake," and both Japan and South Korea appeared cautious.

Following through on one of his main presidential campaign pledges, US President George W. Bush said Tuesday the United States would field a limited missile defense shield by 2004.

US officials said the blueprint called for ten ground-based interceptor missiles at Fort Greeley in Alaska by 2004 and another ten interceptors by 2005 or 2006.

One of China's key concerns is that a US missile defense system would severely weaken its position against Taiwan,

Even a moderately efficient US missile defense could make it impossible for Beijing to threaten the United States to stay out of a future military confrontation with the island.

"If there is a war to take Taiwan, the Chinese want to be able to say to the Americans, 'Taiwan or Los Angeles'," said Harris.

China is worried that a regional version of the missile defense will be developed, citing a plan mulled by the United States and Japan for a joint shield to counter a North Korean threat.

"Like other countries in the region, we're worried about the possible negative impact upon the regional stability and security of the development of a ballistic missile defense," foreign ministry spokesman Liu said.

SPACE.WIRE