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M. Continuo

China concerned by U.S. satellite missile plan


    BEIJING (Reuters) - China is concerned by U.S. plans to shoot down an ailing spy satellite and is considering what "preventative measures" to take, the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

    "The Chinese government is paying close attention to howthe situation develops and demands the U.S. side fulfil itsinternational obligations and avoids causing damage to securityin outer space and of other countries," spokesman Liu Jianchaosaid.

    President George W. Bush has decided to have the Navy shootthe 5,000-pound (2,270 kg) satellite with a modified tacticalmissile after security advisers suggested its re-entry couldlead to a loss of life, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

    "Relevant departments in China are closely watching thesituation and studying preventive measures," Liu said in abrief statement posted on the Foreign Ministry's Web site(www.fmprc.gov.cn).

    On Saturday, Russia's Defence Ministry said the U.S. plancould be used as a cover to test a new space weapon.

    It will be the first time the United States has conductedan anti-satellite operation since the 1980s. Russia also hasnot conducted anti-satellite activities in 20 years.

    China launched a ground-based missile into an obsoleteweather satellite in January 2007, drawing internationalcriticism and worries inside the Pentagon that Beijing has theability to target critical military assets in space.

    (Reporting by Ben Blanchard)