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TAIPEI, Dec 9 (Reuters) – China is building capabilities that threaten most U.S. space assets, and China sees the domain as key to its military strategy, the head of the U.S. Space Command said on Friday.

Historically a laggard in an area dominated by the United States and Russia, Beijing has made significant advances in recent years that have alarmed Washington and other Western nations, including testing an anti-satellite missile in 2007.

U.S. Army Gen. James H. Dickinson, commander of the U.S. Space Command, told reporters in a teleconference from Hawaii that such ASAT, or anti-satellite tests, clog space with debris.

“They continue to build and build capabilities that really, quite frankly, keep most of our assets at risk in the space domain. It’s really an advancement if you will in their capabilities,” he said, referring to China. “Their understanding (is) that space is a very important part of not only their economic or global economic environment, but also their military environment. We continue to watch that very carefully as they continue to build capabilities.”

China says its space program is for peaceful purposes.

Three Chinese astronauts landed on Earth in the re-entry capsule of the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft on Sunday, state broadcaster CCTV reported, ending a six-month mission on the Chinese space station.

The station marks a significant milestone in China’s three-decade-long manned space program, first approved in 1992. It also marks the beginning of China’s permanent presence in space.

Dickinson said his command, along with the US Indo-Pacific Command, was focused on the challenge from China.

“A unified stance by allies and partners is critical to countering the coercion and subversion that threaten the rules-based international order here in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” he said.

Ben Blanchard reports. Editing: Gerry Doyle

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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