China warns US against space arms race after weapons deployment in orbit

China has opposed the United States' deployment of weapons in outer space, warning that the move could fuel an arms race and increase the risk of space becoming a battlefield.

A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Beijing supports the peaceful use of outer space and efforts to protect its security. The remarks came after Washington officially acknowledged that it has deployed armed "space control weapons" into orbit.

China urges US to halt military build-up

In a post on X, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “China stands for peaceful use of outer space and keeping it safe, and opposes any arms race in outer space or any attempt to weaponize it and turn it into a warzone.”

Beijing also called on Washington to stop expanding its military capabilities in space and take steps to maintain global strategic stability.

“We urge the US to stop its military build-up in outer space, and uphold global strategic stability with concrete actions,” the spokesperson said.

China's warning follows the first official US acknowledgement of armed weapons being positioned in orbit, adding another point of tension to the growing military competition between the two countries.

US confirms orbital weapons deployment

US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink confirmed the deployment while speaking at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference on Monday, according to the BBC.

Meink said the US was prepared to respond to "evolving threats" in space. However, he did not disclose what the weapons can do or when they were placed in orbit.

The development comes as the US, China and Russia continue to expand their military space programmes. Their competition includes technologies designed to protect satellites as well as systems that could interfere with or damage them.

Satellites at centre of space rivalry

US military officials have repeatedly warned that China and Russia are developing capabilities that could disrupt, disable or potentially destroy satellites. Such systems are important for military communications, surveillance and navigation.

The Trump administration has also identified space-based capabilities as part of its planned Golden Dome missile-defence system. President Donald Trump last year issued an executive order expanding the US Space Force's role in protecting American space assets while recognising its offensive capabilities.

The US Space Force, created in 2019 as the country's first new military branch in more than seven decades, defines space control as the ability to “contest and control the space domain” using kinetic and non-kinetic means. These include disruption, degradation and destruction where necessary, with such capabilities intended for both offensive and defensive purposes.