May 22 05:11 AM US/EasternBEIJING, May 22 (AP) - (Kyodo) — China on Thursday rejected a claim by a U.S. military official that it is aggressively boosting military capabilities in space.
"China has consistently called for the peaceful use of space," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regular press conference.
"China has never participated in any arms race in space, it is not currently engaged in such activities and will not do so in the future," he added.
In Washington on Tuesday, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jeffery Horne of the U.S. Strategic Command said China is pursuing its ability to shoot down satellites and other space capabilities.
"We cannot accept such remarks," Qin said.
In January 2007, China test-fired a missile and destroyed one of its own defunct satellites, triggering international calls of concern. Beijing has said the experiment posed no threat to other countries and that it has no plan for another test.
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