BEIJING – China on Wednesday reacted guardedly to ‘Mission Shakti’ -India’s anti-satellite missile test – and expressed hope that all countrieswill uphold peace and tranquillity in the outer space.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that India successfullytest-fired an anti-satellite missile by shooting down a live satellite,describing it as a rare achievement that puts the country in an exclusiveclub of space super powers.
The test makes India the fourth country in the world after the US, Russiaand China to acquire the strategic capability to shoot down enemysatellites.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry, in a written response to a question from PTIon India successfully test-firing an anti-satellite missile, said: “We havenoticed reports and hope that each country will uphold peace andtranquillity in outer space”.
China conducted such a test in January 2007 when its anti-satellite missiledestroyed a defunct weather satellite.
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Prime Minister Modi said in New Delhi that the action was not directedagainst any country and the satellite was a pre-determined target orbitingat an altitude of 300 km.
He said India did not breach any international laws or treaties by testingthe anti-satellite missile.
Mission Shakti, which was led by the Defence Research and DevelopmentOrganisation, was aimed at strengthening India’s overall security, Modisaid in his address that comes a fortnight before the start of the generalelection.In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in astatement that India has no intention of entering into an arms race inouter space.
