US space weapons move has ‘broken taboo’, could spark new arms race, Beijing forum told

The US deployment of space weapons has shattered a long-held taboo and risks igniting a fresh arms race, with the world at a “breaking point in history”, speakers at a major security conference in Beijing have warned.

Experts at the Xiangshan Forum this week also called for US-China dialogue on space security, just days before Chinese President Xi Jinping makes his first state visit to the US in more than a decade.

US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink – the civilian head of the department that oversees both the US Air Force and Space Force – acknowledged for the first time on Tuesday that the Pentagon had deployed weapons in space.

“We are increasing readiness against existing threats, and the United States has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action,” Meink said, according to a US Air Force statement. He did not give details on the systems involved.