New tensions between Beijing and Washington
China accuses the US of militarizing space after protesting US Navy aircraft flying through the Taiwan Strait.
Photo: dvidshub.net
Amid a freeze on U.S.-Chinese military contacts, Beijing is accusing the United States of militarizing outer space a day after China protested a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine aircraft flew through the Taiwan Strait, the Associated Press reported.
< p>Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Colonel Tan Kefei said on Friday that US actions, including the creation of the Space Force in 2019 as the newest branch of the military, «have had a great negative impact on space security and global strategic stability.»
“In recent years, the United States has accelerated the militarization of space, said Colonel Tan. – I would like to reiterate here that China adheres to the peaceful use of outer space, strongly opposes the deployment of weapons and turning outer space into a battlefield, and opposes any form of arms race in outer space”.
The PRC Ministry of Defense said that Tan responded to recent concerns expressed by the leaders of the space forces about China's growing capabilities, calling it «classic cognitive dissonance.» China's achievements in space include its own orbital space station and plans for a manned flight to the moon.
Despite the US sending officials to Beijing, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, ties between the two powers remain at historic lows. China has defiantly refused to re-establish contacts between the two militaries, possibly in protest against the US sale of defensive weapons to Taiwan and sanctions against Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu.
Although the Taiwan Strait, according to the Associated Press, is recognized by international waters and air space and functions as the most important route for international trade, China continues to claim the role of owner of the Taiwan Strait, which separates the mainland from the island of Taiwan.
China Considers Taiwan – a close ally of the US – as its own territory, which, if necessary, can be reunited with the mainland by force, and regularly sends aircraft and warships to the area.
On Thursday, China's People's Liberation Army Command in the Eastern Theater of Operations (whose area of operations borders Taiwan) said it had fighter jets airborne to «monitor the US aircraft throughout the process and act in accordance with laws and regulations.» acts”.
Representative of the Eastern Theater Colonel. Shi Yi said, «The theater troops maintain a high level of combat readiness at all times and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and security along with regional peace and stability.»
The US Seventh Fleet said Thursday that a naval aircraft A P-8A Poseidon has crossed the Taiwan Strait in international airspace, according to the Associated Press.
“By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations, the web says. -Website of the Seventh Fleet. – The aircraft's passage through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the commitment of the United States to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates wherever international law allows.