President Donald Trump looks up toward the solar eclipse on the Truman Balcony at the White House on August 21, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Dec 22, 2019
China said Monday that the United States posed a "direct threat" to peace by "pursuing the weaponization of outer space" following President Donald Trump's newly-created Space Force.
"The relevant U.S. actions are a serious violation of the international consensus on the peaceful use of outer space, undermine global strategic balance and stability, and pose a direct threat to outer space peace and security," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a press briefing.
The international community, he added, should "adopt a cautious and responsible attitude to prevent outer space from becoming a new battlefield and work together to maintain lasting peace and tranquility in outer space."
Geng's comments came days after Trump's signature on the National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision for the creation of the sixth branch of the military--an idea the president began floating early last year.
As Vox previously reported:
According to the Defense Intelligence Agency, Russia wants to gain more power in space because it believes gaining supremacy there will allow it to win future fights on this planet. And in late 2015, China created the Strategic Support Force, which is meant to streamline and improve its space, cyber, and electronic warfare missions.
Speaking at a signing ceremony Friday, Trump said the inauguration of Space Force marked "a big moment."
"That's a big moment, and we're all here for it," said Trump. "Space. Going to be a lot of things happening in space. Because space is the world's newest warfighting domain."
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark A. Milley used similar language on Friday when he suggested the new military branch was to counter perceived threats from Russia and China.
"In military operations, space is not just a place from which we support combat operations in other domains, but a warfighting domain in and of itself," Milley said in a statement. "Our adversaries are building and deploying capabilities to threaten us, so we can no longer take space for granted. The U.S. Space Force is the necessary and essential step our nation will take to defend our national interests in space today and into the future."
Among those reacting to the new Space Force by decrying the use of federal funds for more militarism rather than lifesaving programs like Medicare for All was justice advocate Bernice King:
\u201cA Space Force...\n\n\u201cA nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.\u201d\u201d— Be A King (@Be A King) 1577056741
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
China said Monday that the United States posed a "direct threat" to peace by "pursuing the weaponization of outer space" following President Donald Trump's newly-created Space Force.
"The relevant U.S. actions are a serious violation of the international consensus on the peaceful use of outer space, undermine global strategic balance and stability, and pose a direct threat to outer space peace and security," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a press briefing.
The international community, he added, should "adopt a cautious and responsible attitude to prevent outer space from becoming a new battlefield and work together to maintain lasting peace and tranquility in outer space."
Geng's comments came days after Trump's signature on the National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision for the creation of the sixth branch of the military--an idea the president began floating early last year.
As Vox previously reported:
According to the Defense Intelligence Agency, Russia wants to gain more power in space because it believes gaining supremacy there will allow it to win future fights on this planet. And in late 2015, China created the Strategic Support Force, which is meant to streamline and improve its space, cyber, and electronic warfare missions.
Speaking at a signing ceremony Friday, Trump said the inauguration of Space Force marked "a big moment."
"That's a big moment, and we're all here for it," said Trump. "Space. Going to be a lot of things happening in space. Because space is the world's newest warfighting domain."
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark A. Milley used similar language on Friday when he suggested the new military branch was to counter perceived threats from Russia and China.
"In military operations, space is not just a place from which we support combat operations in other domains, but a warfighting domain in and of itself," Milley said in a statement. "Our adversaries are building and deploying capabilities to threaten us, so we can no longer take space for granted. The U.S. Space Force is the necessary and essential step our nation will take to defend our national interests in space today and into the future."
Among those reacting to the new Space Force by decrying the use of federal funds for more militarism rather than lifesaving programs like Medicare for All was justice advocate Bernice King:
\u201cA Space Force...\n\n\u201cA nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.\u201d\u201d— Be A King (@Be A King) 1577056741
China said Monday that the United States posed a "direct threat" to peace by "pursuing the weaponization of outer space" following President Donald Trump's newly-created Space Force.
"The relevant U.S. actions are a serious violation of the international consensus on the peaceful use of outer space, undermine global strategic balance and stability, and pose a direct threat to outer space peace and security," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a press briefing.
The international community, he added, should "adopt a cautious and responsible attitude to prevent outer space from becoming a new battlefield and work together to maintain lasting peace and tranquility in outer space."
Geng's comments came days after Trump's signature on the National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision for the creation of the sixth branch of the military--an idea the president began floating early last year.
As Vox previously reported:
According to the Defense Intelligence Agency, Russia wants to gain more power in space because it believes gaining supremacy there will allow it to win future fights on this planet. And in late 2015, China created the Strategic Support Force, which is meant to streamline and improve its space, cyber, and electronic warfare missions.
Speaking at a signing ceremony Friday, Trump said the inauguration of Space Force marked "a big moment."
"That's a big moment, and we're all here for it," said Trump. "Space. Going to be a lot of things happening in space. Because space is the world's newest warfighting domain."
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark A. Milley used similar language on Friday when he suggested the new military branch was to counter perceived threats from Russia and China.
"In military operations, space is not just a place from which we support combat operations in other domains, but a warfighting domain in and of itself," Milley said in a statement. "Our adversaries are building and deploying capabilities to threaten us, so we can no longer take space for granted. The U.S. Space Force is the necessary and essential step our nation will take to defend our national interests in space today and into the future."
Among those reacting to the new Space Force by decrying the use of federal funds for more militarism rather than lifesaving programs like Medicare for All was justice advocate Bernice King:
\u201cA Space Force...\n\n\u201cA nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.\u201d\u201d— Be A King (@Be A King) 1577056741
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.