&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "China, Russia urge Washington to ‘stop preparing for war’ in space as US deploys weapons")
After the US Air Force confirmed that it deployed “on-orbit space control weapons” for the first time, both China and Russia criticised Washington's move. China urged the United States on September 15, Tuesday, to “stop preparing for war” in space; Russia also said that space must be “free from any weapon.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun reaffirmed on Tuesday China's commitment to the peaceful use of outer space. “We urge the US side to stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for war in outer space,” Guo Jiakun told a news briefing.
“We believe that space must be free of any weapon,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“We are counting on broad international consolidation to continue working towards the complete demilitarisation of space,” he added.
The US Statement did not provide any specifics about the nature of weapons deployed in space. "Space control encapsulates the mission areas required to contest and control the space domain -- employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary capabilities," the statement said.
"These capabilities can be employed for offensive and defensive purposes," it added.
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Weaponisation of Outer Space
The militarisation and weaponisation of outer space is governed by the Outer Space Treaty in 1967, which bans weapons of mass destruction in orbit. Since then, China, Russia, the US and even India have explored ways to fight in space outside the treaty, including by targeting rival satellites, which are key for military communication, surveillance and navigation.
The treaty has a vacuum, as Article 4 prevents weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons in orbit, but it does not prohibit the deployment of conventional weapons such as kinetic interceptors, lasers, or electronic jamming systems in orbit. It creates a grey area where anti-satellite weapons, dual-use tech and cyber and electronic warfare remain unregulated.
"Moscow and Beijing have been wanting to work for about twenty years on a treaty to prevent the placement of weapons in space," while "Western states are trying instead to work on the notion of responsible behaviour," said space law expert Laetitia Cesari, as quoted by the AFP. This regulatory vacuum is likely to be on the agenda in the next UN disarmament meeting in November.
