This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6289519.stm

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
China admits satellite shot down China admits satellite shot down
(10 minutes later)
China has confirmed it carried out a test to destroy a satellite in a move that has triggered international alarm. China has confirmed it carried out a test that destroyed a satellite, in a move that caused international alarm.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao confirmed at a news conference that a test had been conducted. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said a test had been carried out but insisted China was committed to the "peaceful development of outer space".
The US backed reports last week that China had used a ground-based medium-range ballistic missile to destroy a weather satellite.The US backed reports last week that China had used a ground-based medium-range ballistic missile to destroy a weather satellite.
Several countries expressed concern at the test, amid fears it could spark a new arms race in space. It was the first known satellite intercept test for more than 20 years.
Liu Jianchao told reporters that China had "already notified other parties and has also notified the American side." Several countries, including Japan, Australia and the US, have expressed concern at the test.
China had until now refused to confirm or deny it had carried out the test. Until Tuesday, China had refused to confirm or deny the reports.
Taiwanese concern
Liu Jianchao told reporters that China had notified "other parties and... the American side" of its test.
"But China stresses that it has consistently advocated the peaceful development of outer space and it opposes the arming of space and military competition in space," he told a news conference.
CHINA IN SPACE China first launched a manned space mission in 2003 - the third nation to do so after the US and RussiaChinese astronauts aim to perform a spacewalk as early as next yearUntil now, the US and Russia have been the only nations to shoot down space objectsChina insists its space programme is of no threat, but other nations are waryChina says it spends $500m on space projects. NASA is due to spend $17bn in 2007 Test sparks space arms fears
"China has never, and will never, participate in any form of space arms race."
The magazine American Aviation Week and Space Technology reported that a Chinese Feng Yun 1C polar orbit weather satellite had been destroyed by an anti-satellite system launched from or near China's Xichang Space Centre on 11 January.The magazine American Aviation Week and Space Technology reported that a Chinese Feng Yun 1C polar orbit weather satellite had been destroyed by an anti-satellite system launched from or near China's Xichang Space Centre on 11 January.
The test is thought to have occurred at more than 537 miles (865km) above the Earth.
The report was confirmed by US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe last Thursday.The report was confirmed by US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe last Thursday.
It was the first known satellite intercept test for more than 20 years, correspondents said. He said at the time the US "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".
Japan and Australia also spoke of their fears of a possible new arms race in space.
The test also triggered alarm in Taiwan, which relies on US satellites to monitor Chinese deployments.
There are already growing international concerns about China's rising military power.
While Beijing keeps its defence spending a secret, analysts say that it has grown rapidly in recent years.
Debris fears
China is now only the third country to shoot something down in space.
Both the US and the Soviet Union halted their tests in the 1980s over concerns that the debris they produced could harm civilian and military satellite operations.
While the US may be unhappy about China's actions, the Washington administration has recently opposed international calls to end such tests.
It revised US space policy last October to state that Washington had the right to freedom of action in space, and the US is known to be researching such "satellite-killing" weapons itself.