Published: 11:53 PM, 15 September 2026
China Wants USA to Immediately Halt Military Expansion in Outer Space
Chinese Foreign Ministry official Guo Jiakum addressed a press conference in Beijing on 15 September 2026. Manila Express
China on Tuesday urged the United States to immediately halt the expansion of its military capabilities in outer space and refrain from turning orbit into a new battlefield, reports CGTN. The stern warning follows a landmark public acknowledgment by Washington that the U.S. Space Force has officially deployed operational control weapons into orbit.
Speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday (September 15, 2026), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun reiterated Beijing's commitment to the peaceful exploration of space. Guo warned that recent actions by the U.S. military risk triggering an uncontrollable arms race and severely destabilizing global security.
"China has long been committed to the peaceful use of outer space and safeguarding security in space. We oppose any arms race in outer space or any attempts to weaponize it or turn it into a war zone," Guo told reporters. "We urge the U.S. side to stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for war in outer space, and safeguard global strategic stability with concrete actions."
The diplomatic friction follows comments made a day earlier by U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink during the Air, Space & Cyber Conference. Meink revealed that the U.S. Space Force now operates active "on-orbit space control weapons" designed to defend military assets and counter adversary capabilities in Earth's orbit. While U.S. officials declined to specify whether these deployed assets involve kinetic impactors, directed-energy lasers, or electronic jamming systems, the admission marks a departure from decades of strategic ambiguity surrounding orbital weaponry.
In response, Beijing cautioned that the deployment of orbital weapons threatens the fragile framework of international space law. Current space governance relies heavily on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction in orbit. However, the treaty contains significant gray areas regarding conventional, kinetic, and non-kinetic offensive systems.
The latest back-and-forth highlights the deepening geopolitical rivalry between the world's major powers. Satellites have become vital infrastructure for modern life, powering global communications, GPS navigation, meteorological forecasting, and defense surveillance. Military analysts warn that deploying offensive hardware directly into orbit increases the risk of miscalculation, potentially turning space infrastructure into an immediate target during terrestrial conflicts.
China, which operates its own Tiangong space station and maintains an extensive satellite fleet, has repeatedly joined Russia in advocating for a binding UN treaty to prohibit all weapons in space. Conversely, Washington and its allies have emphasized establishing non-binding behavioral norms, pointing to rapid advancements in Chinese and Russian anti-satellite technologies as the primary driver for strengthening U.S. space defenses.
Guo emphasized that outer space should remain a shared global commons dedicated to human progress rather than an arena for superpower confrontation. As tensions escalate, defense experts warn that without diplomatic restraint and updated international treaties, orbit could rapidly transform into the next domain of militarized conflict.
The military rivalry between the United States and China represents the defining geopolitical competition of the 21st century. Driven by Beijing's rapid armed forces modernization and Washington's commitment to maintaining its global strategic edge, this friction spans the Indo-Pacific, outer space, and cyber domains. Central to this rivalry is the status of Taiwan and contested claims in the South China Sea, where frequent naval encounters and military exercises heightens the risk of unintended escalation.
As the Pentagon classifies China as its primary "pacing challenge", the People's Liberation Army continues to expand its naval fleet, missile stockpiles, and advanced technologies. In response, the U.S. has deepened regional alliances, expanded its forward force posture, and publicly deployed operational space-control capabilities in orbit. This mutual buildup has sparked a high-stakes arms race. Despite periodic diplomatic attempts to build "strategic stability" guardrails, the structural competition between an established superpower and a rising challenger ensures that military tensions remain dangerously high.
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