China Urges US to Halt Space Military Buildup After Washington Confirms Weapons Deployed in Orbit

China has urged the United States to halt its military buildup in outer space after Washington publicly acknowledged that it has US weapons in orbit, prompting a warning that other countries could be pushed to respond.

The disclosure came from US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink, who said on Monday that the United States has 'on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action'. He did not identify the weapons or disclose their number or deployment details.

The remarks, made at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, marked the first public confirmation by the US government that it has deployed weapons in space.

China Warns of a Space Arms Race

Beijing responded within hours.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China opposed the weaponisation of outer space and efforts to turn it into a war zone.

'We urge the U.S. to stop expanding military buildup in outer space, and uphold global strategic stability with concrete actions,' Guo said at a regular briefing on Tuesday.

Chinese state-backed media then escalated the warning. The Global Times described the US move as part of what it called Washington's pursuit of 'space hegemony', while military analyst Song Zhongping warned that other nations could be pushed into developing their own responses.

'If the U.S. continues down this path, other countries may be forced to respond,' Song said, according to Reuters.

That warning is at the heart of Beijing's concern. China argues that expanding US space weapons could encourage rival powers to strengthen their own counter-space capabilities, potentially creating a cycle in which each side views the other's preparations as a growing threat.

What the US Has Revealed

Despite the disclosure, much about the weapons remains secret.

Meink confirmed that the United States has weapons deployed in orbit, but did not say what systems they are, how many exist, where they are positioned or precisely what they can do. US Space Force officials have also declined to provide details about the weapons.

That means the public confirmation establishes the existence of the capability without revealing its operational specifications.

The wording used by Meink is also significant. He described the systems as 'space control weapons' capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action, rather than providing details about offensive missions or specific targets.

The Security Dilemma in Orbit

China's warning follows a similar argument made by Chinese state news agency Xinhua last week.

Xinhua said US efforts to expand military capabilities in space risk creating a 'security dilemma', in which other countries strengthen their own counter-space systems in response, only for Washington to regard those developments as new threats.

The dispute therefore extends beyond the question of one undisclosed weapons system.

The United States says its space-control capabilities are intended to protect military forces from hostile action. China, meanwhile, is warning that the deployment of weapons in orbit could accelerate space weaponisation and contribute to a global space arms race.

The US has separately identified China and Russia as major competitors in space, while both countries have developed capabilities that can threaten or interfere with satellites.

What International Law Says

The disclosure does not automatically establish a violation of international law.

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits states from placing nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or stationing them in outer space. It also prohibits military bases, weapons testing and military manoeuvres on the Moon and other celestial bodies.

The treaty does not contain a blanket prohibition on every conventional weapon in outer space. The specific nature and purpose of the US systems remain undisclosed.

A New Space Military Era

Washington's acknowledgement has removed one layer of secrecy surrounding the US military presence in orbit, but it has also opened a much bigger question.

If other countries respond by expanding their own counter-space capabilities, as Chinese officials have warned, the competition could become increasingly difficult to separate from the broader struggle for military advantage on Earth.

For now, one fact stands out: the United States has publicly confirmed that weapons are already in orbit, while China is warning that other countries may feel compelled to follow.