Hong Kong Editorial Says US Need Not “Overact” to Chinese Missile Test
Text of editorial entitled: “There is no need to overact to China’s outer space test”, published by Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po website on 24 January
Yesterday when answering a question on China using a missile to destroy its own outdated meteorological satellite, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said that China stands for the peaceful use of outer space and opposes an arms race in outer space. The Foreign Ministry spokesman’s statement reiterates China’s consistent stand on the peaceful use of outer space and also indicates that China has never participated in any form of outer space arms race, nor will it do so in the future. It signifies that its recent outer space test is not aimed any country, nor does it pose a threat to any country. The United States and other Western countries expressed worries over China’s normal outer space test and even made groundless accusations. They were overreacting.
For many years, China has not only propagated the peaceful use of outer space and proposed programmes on preventing an outer space arms race, but also repeatedly demanded that China and the United States conduct talks on prohibiting space weapons. China’s normal and restrained outer space test should, logically speaking, stand beyond reproach, but the United States and Japan are kicking up a fuss about something perfectly normal and have purposely cooked up tension. On the one hand, this has been caused by their habitual concept of the “China threat theory”; on the other, they are seeking an excuse for their further arms expansion.
As a matter fact, what is really worrying is the US hegemonic attempt to singly dominate outer space. As early as the 1980s, the United States already conducted a similar test and proposed the “Star War” programme. Data from the United States show that of the 811 satellites orbiting around the earth, 413 belong to the United States and a quarter of them are for military purposes. The newly announced US National Space Policy asserts a right to deny access to space to anyone “hostile to US interests”. The United States, obviously, is trying to stretch itself from “world police” to “space police”. The US sense of resistance against China’s outer space test exactly portrays its hegemonic state of mind of demarcating outer space as its restricted area.
The peaceful use of outer space is the common appeal of the peace- loving people throughout the world, is in the common interests of all mankind, and is the responsibility all mankind should jointly undertake. All countries in the world, particularly the United States, which has spent a host of resources for the development of outer space weapons and maintained absolute supremacy in that field, should perform the responsibility for the peaceful use of outer space, instead of cherishing the hegemonic mentality of “allowing itself to burn down houses while forbidding others even to light lamps.” On the one hand, it is vigorously developing outer space weapons; on the other, it is imposing prohibitions of every description and making indiscreet remarks on others.
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