China and the arms race in space

Outside scrutiny of China has, understandably, been muted in the weeks following the Sichuan earthquake. But a new battle of strength between Asia's emerging superpower and the US is fast emerging - in the skies.

In comments reported this week, Chinese military bigwigs have warned that an arms race in space is "unstoppable".

China served notice of its capabilities in January when it used a ballistic missile to shoot down one of its own defunct satellites. The US is widely assumed to have parallel technology.

A new book issued by the state-run China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, dissected by Reuters, warns that this was only the start.

The buildup of weaponry in orbit "is already unstoppable", Wu Tianfu, of the 2nd Artillery Corps command college, which controls China's nuclear weaponry, says in the book.

Strategic confrontation in outer space is difficult to avoid. The development of outer space forces shows signs that a space arms race to seize the commanding heights is emerging.

Beijing remains officially set on drawing up secure multinational regulations to avoid a space arms race, but is clearly hedging its bets - something Washington is only too aware of.

Last month, Brigadier General Jeffrey Horne, from the US Strategic Command, told a congessional advisory group that China was "aggressively" developing its ability to shoot down satellites, technology he predicted could be used in a future showdown over Taiwan. The US in turn must "proactively protect our space capabilities", he insisted.

So that's that, it seems. The next time you think you see a shooting star in the heavens, it might be worth a second look.

Original here