US Seeks Dialogue Over China’s Space Program Intentions

A U.S. general said on Tuesday that the military needs to deepen its dialogue with China to better understand the intent of its space programs, after a Chinese commander announced plans to develop offensive military capabilities in space, Reuters reported.

China-watchers had been "absolutely amazed" by the country’s advances in its space programs over the past decade, according to General Kevin Chilton, head of the Pentagon’s Strategic Command that coordinates U.S. military operations in space.

Chilton warned that China was on a fast track to improving capabilities and is not alone in wanting to ramp up its operations in space. He added that space is becoming a more competitive domain.

"We’re going to have to address these issues and these concepts and I think it’s better we do them through a forum that provides an open dialogue between our nations than to do them without that dialogue," Chilton said.

The Xinhua state news agency quoted People’s Liberation Army Air Force Commander Xu Qiliang on Sunday as saying China’s air force would develop capabilities for offensive and defense operations in space and that "only power could protect peace."

However, Xu’s reported comments represented an area the U.S. wants to explore in order to understand exactly what China’s intentions are, according to Chilton.

He explained that the U.S. military would want to know why China might want to go in that direction and what grounds might exist to accommodate a different direction.

Last year, three Chinese astronauts successfully completed the country’s first spacewalk, during a 68-hour voyage hailed as a major victory by Beijing. China’s first lunar probe, the Chang’e-1 satellite, finished its mission in October 2008.

Meanwhile, Chilton commended China’s rapid advances in both its manned and unmanned space programs, but also China’s armed forces showed the need for greater transparency.

He said that a lot of people would like to better understand what their goals and objectives are.

"They certainly are on a fast-track to improving capabilities," he added.

The U.S. military has long sought better dialogue with China’s armed forces, particularly after Chinese vessels repeatedly confronted American surveillance ships in Asian waters earlier this year.

Xu Caihou, vice chairman of the People’s Liberation Army Central Military Commission, visited the United States last month in an effort to move forward with U.S.-Chinese military relations.

Chilton described the visit as positive and "really just the opening phase of a dialogue."

Last month, U.S. intelligence agencies said China’s increasing natural resource-focused diplomacy and military modernization singled the country out as a challenge to the United States.