RIYADH: China's capital, Beijing said it has filed a complaint with the United Nations over fears it may lose its space station due to SpaceX satellites, reflecting the growing space race between the Asian country and the US.
Two satellites of the US company founded by Elon Musk approached the Chinese station in July and October, forcing the astronauts on board to take evasive measures, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, said in a press conference on Tuesday Dec. 28.
He also accused Washington of not fulfilling its obligations under the Outer Space Treaty, Bloomberg reported.
“While the United States talks about the concept of responsible behavior in outer space, it is practically ignoring its treaty obligations,” Zhao said.
In recent years, competition in space between the two countries has increased, especially after Beijing hinted that it could send astronauts to the moon for the first time by 2030, Bloomberg reported.
China's hint was considered a response to the senior US space official setting a timetable for President Joe Biden to explore the new American moon.
These developments suggest an increase in space competition from now on between two of the best funded space forces in the world.
SpaceX has more than 1,600 Starlink satellites in orbit.
