China warned against an arms race in space. Photo: Shutterstock
- China’s ambassador for disarmament affairs Li Song tells UN that an arms race in space would leave a ‘sword of Damocles’ hanging over the world
- The US recently pledged to ban anti-satellite missile tests, but Li warned against using arms controls to secure an advantage over other countries
China has warned against attempts to dominate outer space or gain an advantage under the guise of arms control.
In a speech to a United Nations conference on outer space on Tuesday, Li Song, China’s ambassador for disarmament affairs, said the origin of the arms race in outer space, which he called a “Sword of Damocles”, lies in the attempts of superpowers to dominate outer space.
He was speaking after the United States said it would ban anti-satellite missiles and said: “Though the Cold War has been over for 30 years already, some individual countries still stick with the Cold War mentality and seek unilateral strategic advantages in space.”
Li said preventing an arms race in outer space was an important condition for ensuring peace and the sustainable use of outer space, adding that no country should engage in great power competition in space but rather respond to threats through cooperation.
“The most important responsible behaviour in outer space is the promise of a superpower not to seek hegemony in outer space or seek to dominate outer space,” Li said.
He said the touchstone for responsible behaviour was support for the negotiation of a new outer space control treaty.
Last month, the US announced it would not conduct anti-satellite missile tests, which Vice-President Kamala Harris said were “irresponsible” – citing Russia’s destruction of an old Soviet satellite in November and China’s anti-satellite missile
the rest of this article can be found here South China Morning Post
By Amber Wang, in Bejing