China has urged Washington to abandon its development and deployment of project to build the Golden Dome missile defence shield.
Flanked by US Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, US President Donald Trump announced the project at an Oval Office briefing on Tuesday, confirming reports that the administration was seeking to establish a missile defense umbrella which the President said would be capable of “intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space.”
Trump disclosed that he had selected a design for the project and named a Space Force General to head the ambitious program aimed at blocking threats from China and Russia.
Trump stated that the project will cost around $175 billion and be operational in three years.
He added that Republicans had agreed to allocate $25bn in initial funding and Canada had expressed an interest in taking part.
Speaking at a press briefing, Chinese foreign ministry Spokesperson, Mao Ning said that the US project carries “strong offensive implications” and heightens the risks of the militarisation of outer space and an arms race.
“It plans to expand the US arsenal of means for combat operations in outer space, including R&D and deployment of orbital interception systems.”
Mao Ning
Referring to the 1967 agreement which among other things prohibited the use of nuclear weapons in space and limited any usage of all “celestial bodies” for peaceful purposes, Mao said, “That gives the project a strong offensive nature and violates the principle of peaceful use in the Outer Space Treaty.”
“The United States, in pursuing a ‘US-first’ policy, is obsessed with seeking absolute security for itself. This violates the principle that the security of all countries should not be compromised and undermines global strategic balance and stability. China is seriously concerned about this.
“We urge the US to give up developing and deploying global anti-missile system.”
Mao Ning
She added that Washington should take concrete actions to enhance strategic trust between major countries and uphold global strategic stability.
The project is expected to end up largely as a partnership with major defense contractors, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, given it has the capacity to manufacture rockets to launch military payloads into orbit and satellites that can deliver next-generation surveillance and targeting tools.
It will also rely on companies that manufacture ordnance currently used by the US military.
The project’s baseline capabilities are set to depend on existing systems including the Thaad and Aegis Ashore systems made by Lockheed Martin and Patriot surface-to-air missiles made by Raytheon.
Trump began calling for a U.S. missile defense shield inspired by Israel‘s Iron Dome — which is used to intercept short-range projectiles — a year ago on the campaign trail after watching Israel and its Western allies defeat some 300 missiles and drones fired during an attack by Iran.
The attack was thwarted by a range of anti-missile systems and military aircraft.
China Says US Trade Talks Important But Multilateralism Key
China said on Wednesday that trade talks with the United States were an important step to bridge gaps but that multilateralism is “indispensable” to find a way out from global trade turmoil.
China’s mission to the World Trade Organization said in a statement, “While bilateral talks may sometimes work, China believes multilateralism is the inevitable and ultimate choice to address global challenges.” It added, “We need to find the way out.”
China and dozens of other countries were stung by a slew of so-called reciprocal tariffs imposed by US president Donald Trump in recent months, before talks were held between the two major trading partners earlier in May to reduce rising trade tensions.
China and the United States announced a trade truce, with the U.S. dropping the extra tariffs it imposed on China to 30% from 145%, while China cut its levies to 10% from 125%.
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