The United States and Japan have criticised China's anti-satellite weapons test in which an old weather satellite was destroyed.
The test, first reported by Aviation Week, destroyed the satellite with a ballistic missile on January 11th.
Analysts said China's weather satellites would travel at about the same altitude as US spy satellites, so the test represented an indirect threat to US defence systems.
"The United States believes China's development and testing of such weapons is inconsistent with the spirit of co-operation that both countries aspire to in the civil space area," a US National Security Council spokesman said yesterday.
"We and other countries have expressed our concern to the Chinese."
Japan demanded a full explanation from Beijing, Japan's top government spokesman said. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki also suggested that China's lack of transparency over its military development could trigger suspicions about its motives in the region.
"From the viewpoint of the peaceful use of space and security, the Japanese government is naturally concerned about this act of destroying an artificial satellite with a ballistic missile," Mr Shiozaki said.
AP