The United States, Australia and Canada have expressed concern to China over Beijing's successful test in space last week of a satellite-killing weapon, the White House said Thursday. "The United States believes China's development and testing of such weapons is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation that both countries aspire to in the civil space area," said national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
"We and other countries have expressed our concern to the Chinese," Johndroe said.
A senior White House official, requesting anonymity, said that Britain, Japan and South Korea were expected to express their concerns to China soon.
The official confirmed a report in Aviation Week magazine that US spy agencies have concluded that China conducted a successful test of a satellite-killing weapon on January 11, knocking out an aging Chinese weather satellite with a "kinetic kill vehicle" launched on board a ballistic missile.
The impact occurred at more than 500 miles (800 kilometers) above Earth.
Source: Agence France-Presse
