Washington's successful test of its missile defence system met with unbridled hostility from Russia and China yesterday, with both countries issuing stark warnings that the plan would upset disarmament treaties and provoke a new arms race.
Despite a subtle softening of Russia's opposition to US plans for an anti-missile shield in recent weeks, the immediate response from Moscow to the test result was terse and firm. Chief foreign ministry spokesman, Mr Alexander Yakovenko, demanded to know why "the entire architecture of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation agreements, based on the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty, [should] be placed under threat".
Russia maintains that the ABM treaty has been the cornerstone of global stability for decades and has warned that if America persists in pursuing its missile defence project, Russia could consider all existing bilateral arms controls pacts as void.
President Vladimir Putin has threatened that Russia could respond by placing multiple warheads on its intercontinental missiles. China said the US plan would "not only spark a new arms race . . . but stimulate nuclear proliferation".
President Jiang Zemin, who left Beijing yesterday for a visit to five European countries beginning in Russia, is expected to discuss the test with Mr Putin. China has been more outspoken than Russia in its criticism of the test, although Beijing arms specialists say they still hope that Washington will engage in dialogue on the issue.
The "son of star wars" project is to be discussed by the Russian and US leaders when they meet this week at the G8 summit in Italy.