The United States denied that the Starlink satellites had twice endangered the security of the Chinese space station, and the Foreign Ministry responded

According to CCTV news clients, on February 10, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian presided over a regular press conference. A reporter asked: According to reports, in a note sent to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs on January 28, the US side denied China's claim that the Starlink satellites had twice endangered the safety of the Chinese space station, saying that the activities of the Starlink satellites did not meet the threshold of the established emergency collision avoidance standards, so in any case, no emergency notice was required. The US note also said that before sending a note to the United Nations, China did not contact the relevant US departments to express concerns about the danger caused by the Starlink satellite. What is China's response?

Zhao Lijian said that China's notification to the United Nations of the dangerous approach of the Starlink satellite to the Chinese space station and the threat to the safety of astronauts in orbit is to fulfill its international obligations under article 5 of the Outer Space Treaty. In the relevant collision avoidance incident, the US Starlink satellites are in a continuous orbital maneuvering state, and the maneuvering strategy and intention are unknown. Chinese astronauts in orbit face real and urgent security threats. China has had to adopt preventive collision avoidance controls. After the collision avoidance incident, the Chinese authorities repeatedly tried to contact the US side by email, but they did not receive a reply. Nowadays, the US side uses the so-called lower limit of the emergency collision standard to shirk responsibility and divert attention, which is not the responsible attitude that a space power should have, not to mention that the US side has no right to unilaterally set a lower limit of the emergency collision standard.

Zhao Lijian pointed out that article 9 of the Outer Space Treaty stipulates that the exploration and use of outer space by all States parties shall be based on the principle of cooperation and mutual assistance, and all activities of the State parties in outer space shall properly accommodate the equal interests of other States parties. China has registered the relevant information on the space station with the United Nations and published the number of orbital roots of the Chinese space station on its website. Proceeding from safeguarding the safety of Chinese astronauts and space stations, China is willing to establish a long-term communication mechanism with the United States and hopes that the United States will take practical measures to avoid the recurrence of such incidents. China also hopes that all countries will jointly respect the international system of outer space based on international law and work together to safeguard the life safety of astronauts in orbit and the safe and stable operation of space facilities.

Edited by Xin Jing Source CCTV News Client

Duty Editor Kang Hee-hee