U.S., Japan slammed for 'China space threat' propaganda

A Chinese defense ministry spokesperson on Thursday accused the United States and Japan of ignoring facts and fabricating the so-called "China space threat."

The propaganda is merely an excuse for the two countries to expand their militaries and seek predominance in the space, said Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense.

The United States has continued to promote the process of space militarization with a Cold War mentality, establishing a space command, and developing and deploying offensive space weapons, Tan said.

As the country with the greatest number of satellites, the United States has long been stonewalling space arms control, he said.

Noting that Japan has also been progressive in its military construction in space, Tan said that the moves of the two countries have raised the risk of weaponization and an arms race in outer space, and negatively affected global strategic stability.

China is committed to the peaceful use of outer space, Tan said, and ready to strengthen international space cooperation.