U.S. State Department Says China Conducted an Anti-satellite Test

摘要

The United States says China conducted a "non-destructive" test of an anti-satellite weapon July 23 and called for China to end the development of such capabilities. Geng Shuang, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy here, chafed at that assessment, saying the test was of a land-based missile interceptor. In an email to SpaceNewsJuly 31, he said that "to associate it with an anti-satellite test is entirely groundless." A State Department spokesman said the United States has "a high confidence" that the test was of an anti-satellite missile. "We call on China to refrain from destabilizing actions-such as the continued development and testing of destructive anti-satellite systems - that threaten the long term security and sustainability of the outer space environment, on which all nations depend," the State Department official said in a July 25 email to SpaceNews. "The United States continuously looks to ensure its space systems are safe and resilient against emerging space threats." China's state-run news agency, Xinhua, reported July 24 that the military had announced a successful missile intercept test. The test "achieved the preset goal," China's Ministry of National Defense said on its website, according to Xinhua.