BEIJING — China on Friday warned that the growing risk of an arms race in outer space poses a major threat to international security, calling for stronger global governance and measures to prevent space from becoming a new theater of military conflict.In a position paper outlining its approach to outer space governance, Beijing said rapid advances in space science and technology have outpaced the existing international legal framework, creating new challenges for global security and cooperation.”The risk of an arms race in outer space and the trend of turning outer space into a new theater of conflict have become the gravest threat and challenge to space security,” the paper said.It stressed that the benefits of space exploration should be shared by all countries and described strengthening global space governance as an urgent responsibility of the international community.The document called on countries to uphold sovereign equality, respect international law, strengthen multilateral cooperation and adopt a people-centered approach to the development and use of outer space.China also advocated balancing space development with security, stability and long-term sustainability, with the objective of building what it described as a community with a shared future in space.The paper’s release follows remarks by US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink at a defense conference last month, when he said the US Space Force possessed “on-orbit space control weapons” capable of protecting American forces against hostile actions.Beijing urged countries to oppose offensive military policies in space, prevent an arms race and respect the security interests and development rights of all nations.It called for equitable and non-discriminatory access to outer space, greater transparency to reduce misunderstandings, and stronger international cooperation in scientific research and technological innovation.The paper also emphasized the need to regulate commercial space activities and maintain the United Nations as the primary platform for international space governance.China called for reaffirming the principle of refraining from the threat or use of force in international relations, including against objects in outer space, to prevent armed conflict beyond Earth.It also opposed activities that threaten the sovereignty, security or development interests of other countries.Separately, China launched a remote sensing satellite from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province on Friday, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.The satellite will primarily support land surveys, crop yield estimates, disaster prevention and relief operations.
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