"Outer space is going to be weaponized in our lifetime."

-Col. Yao Yunzhu

'Her rank of senior colonel is equivalent to that of a brigadier or
one-star general in the U.S. military.'

----------------------------------------------------------------------
China's WEF envoy sees space weaponizing By EDITH M. LEDERER,
Associated Press Writer
Fri Jan 26, 1:47 PM ET

DAVOS, Switzerland - A senior Chinese military officer predicts that
weapons will be deployed in outer space despite the government's long-
standing desire to prevent an arms race in space.

Yao Yunzhu, a senior colonel in the People's Liberation Army, brought
up China's recent successful test of an anti-satellite weapon during
a World Economic Forum dinner Thursday focusing on North Korea.

"My wish is we really want to keep space as a peaceful place for
human beings," she said, adding that China would like all countries
to come to a consensus that space should be used only for peaceful
purposes.

"But personally, I'm pessimistic about it," said Yao, 52, who directs
the Asia-Pacific Office at the Academy of Military Science in
Beijing. "My prediction: Outer space is going to be weaponized in our
lifetime."

Yao's remarks were the first time a member of the Chinese military
has commented on the test. The only other official comment, from the
Foreign Ministry, offered the barest confirmation and repeated stock
positions about China's wish to keep space free of weapons.

"This isn't the act of a country who remains fiercely committed to
peace and harmony in the world," said Adm. Timothy Keating, commander
of U.S. Northern Command. "This is a cause for concern ... In
executing this test they have created potential significant problems
for international space flight."

Keating told the Associated Press in an interview this week that
there are ongoing worries that such tests have other
consequences "intended or otherwise," that China must realize,
including possible damage to other satellites or the Space Station by
debris.

He added that the U.S. does not now plan a direct response to the
test, but "there are a number of things that are on the list of
potential military options" if it happens again.

The Jan. 11 test sparked criticism from the United States and Japan,
and raised concerns over the rising militarization of space. Analysts
said it also represented an indirect threat to U.S. efforts to remain
predominant in space and on the ground — because it raised the
possibility that the network of U.S. spy satellites could be shot
down.

The U.S. military has had the capability to shoot down satellites
since the 1980s. Russia has a similar capacity, and now China is the
third potential military power in space.

China confirmed the test on Tuesday, but did not provide details —
and neither did Yao. The magazine Aviation Week, which first reported
the test, said the satellite was hit by a kinetic kill vehicle
launched from a ballistic missile.

China's long-standing policy was to ban weapons in space, Yao said,
noting that Russia and China presented a draft outline for a treaty
to prevent the deployment of weapons in space to the Conference on
Disarmament in Geneva in June 2002.

The United States objected at the time, saying the 1967 Outer Space
Treaty provided sufficient guarantees against the weaponization of
space. The Russians countered that while the 1967 treaty banned
weapons of mass destruction in space, it did not contain any legal
barriers to putting other weapons in orbit around the Earth.

Without naming any country, but in an apparent reference to the
United States, Yao said if there's going to be "a space superpower,
it's not going to be alone, and China is not going to be the only
one."

"It will have company," she said.

Her rank of senior colonel is equivalent to that of a brigadier or
one-star general in the U.S. military. She belongs to a small group
of fluent English speakers the usually secretive People's Liberation
Army uses to deal with foreigners.