Reuters:
China’s space program must help protect the country’s national security, but China is dedicated to the peaceful use of space and opposes a space arms race, the government said in a policy paper issued on Tuesday.
President Xi Jinping has called for China to establish itself as a space power, and it has tested anti-satellite missiles, in addition to its civilian aims
China has repeatedly said its space program is for peaceful purposes, but the U.S. Defense Department has highlighted its increasing capabilities, saying it was pursuing activities aimed to prevent adversaries from using space-based assets in a crisis.
In its policy paper, the government said the space program was an important part of the country’s overall development strategy.
“China always adheres to the principle of the use of outer space for peaceful purposes, and opposes the weaponisation of or an arms race in outer space,” it said.
The program must also “meet the demands of economic, scientific and technological development, national security and social progress”, the paper added, without elaborating on the security part.
However it included past weapons tests as part of the history of its space program, in which the military has all along been deeply involved with…
