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China confirms anti-satellite weapon test, says nothing to fear
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  • BEIJING, Jan 23 (AFP) Jan 23, 2007
    China confirmed for the first time on Tuesday that it had tested a satellite-destroying weapon but insisted its space programme was of no threat to the rest of the world.

    Until Tuesday, China had refused to publicly confirm the test, which drew condemnation from the US, Japan and many other countries amid concerns that it could spark an international arms race in space.

    Even as China confirmed its action, it was rebuked for failing to explain why it conducted the test.

    "Regarding having conducted the test, China has already notified other parties and has also notified the American side," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters.

    "But China stresses that it has consistently advocated the peaceful development of outer space and it opposes the arming of space and military competition in space.

    "China has never, and will never, participate in any form of a space arms race."

    The White House said last week that China had used a missile to destroy an orbiting weather satellite on January 11, making it the third country after the United States and the former Soviet Union to shoot down an object in space.

    The test meant that China could theoretically shoot down spy satellites or other orbiters operated by other nations.

    The US, Japan and others had also complained that China had failed to adequately explain why it had gone ahead with the test.

    "The government of Japan has been asking China for a clearer explanation on the issue," Japan's government spokesman and chief cabinet secretary, Yasuhisa Shiozaki, told reporters on Tuesday.

    "We don't think China has made a formal explanation yet. We'll keep asking for proper explanations."

    But Liu dismissed any hint that China was not being transparent.

    "China has nothing to hide. After the relevant parties expressed their concerns, we made our response quickly," he said.

    "Since many countries have expressed concern, there was a need to explain ... on this issue, China has been responsible."

    Liu said China had directly informed Japan after the test, as well as the United States, but named no other countries that had been officially told.

    After destroying satellites in space in the 1980s, the US and the Soviet Union ended their programmes, largely because of the problem of debris.

    But despite US protests against China, President George W. Bush's administration has opposed international calls to end all tests, saying in a policy paper last year the United States had the right to "freedom of action" in space.

    Analysts have said Washington is concerned that China's test has shown it is starting to make inroads into the US' virtual supremacy in space, with Russia having lost much of its expertise in this field.

    Former senior Pentagon official Dan Blumenthal said the test would alter the military balance in Asia, particularly in the handling of Taiwan, an island China regards as a renegade province.

    "There has long been a desire on China's part to try to have weapons to shoot down or at least interfere with American satellites, which America depends upon in order to meet its defence commitment in Asia," Blumenthal said.

    "So it very much puts in the minds of American planners and policy makers, how to overcome this now more costly commitment."

    Even before the test, the US had consistently called on China to be more transparent with its space programme and its fast-rising military budget.

    The US Defense Department says China is spending two to three times more on its military than the 35 billion dollars a year it has acknowledged.

    China has consistently responded to US complaints on this issue by saying its military buildup is for defensive purposes only.

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