Posted on 01/19/2007 6:05:32 AM PST by Rb ver. 2.0
Britain has joined the US, Japan and Australia's condemnation of China after the communist country destroyed a satellite in space using a ballistic missile.
The British embassy in Beijing said it had raised the test, the first of its kind for 20 years, with the Chinese foreign ministry noting that the Government believed it was “inconsistent” with China’s opposition to the development of space weapons.
A spokesman refused to elaborate on the form the protest took or on the Chinese government’s response.
Later, a Downing Street spokesman said: "We are concerned about the impact of debris in space and we expressed that concern.
"We don't believe that this does contravene international law
"What we are concerned about however is lack of consultation and we believe that this development of this technology and the manner in which this test was conducted is inconsistent with the spirit of China's statements to the UN and other bodies on the military use of space."
The Chinese authorities have not confirmed a US report that it blew up one of its own aged weather satellites last Thursday with a ballistic missile fired from the Xichang space centre in Sichuan province.
There is stony silence on the subject in the Chinese media today as concern grows in the US and in the region about the prospect of an arms race in space.
If the test is confirmed, China will become the third country after the United States and the former Soviet Union to shoot down an object in space, indicating the Asian power could target satellites operated by other nations.
The United States, Japan, Australia and a host of other countries voiced concern on Friday .
Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Yasuhisa Shiozaki, said his government had asked China for confirmation, and for an explanation of what its intentions were.
“We are concerned about it firstly from the point of view of peaceful use of space, and secondly from the safety perspective,” Mr Shiozaki said.
Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the American National Security Council, said 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”.
Alexander Downer, Australia's foreign minister, said his country did not want to see “some sort of spread, if you like, of an arms race into outer space”.
Taro Aso, the Japanese foreign minister, said the Chinese had sought to reassure Japan its intentions in space were of no threat to anyone.
“China consistently uses space only for peaceful purposes,” Mr Aso quoted the Chinese foreign ministry as saying.
The comments fit with the ruling Communist Party’s mantra in recent years that the nation’s rise as a world superpower should not be feared.
China joined the exclusive club of top space nations in 2003 when it sent up its first manned mission, joining the United States and Russia.
China spends 500 million dollars a year on its space programmes, according to official figures, while NASA’s proposed budget for 2007 is nearly 17 billion dollars.
But the United States has consistently deflected Chinese advances for closer cooperation on the two nations’ space programmes because of concerns about the involvement of China’s military.
A Chinese government defence paper released last month said that its defence expenditure had grown by more than 15 percent every year since 1990.
I have a lack of diagnostic equipment these days, and my limited experience of both battery and starter failures (one each, both in the 70s, and the starter failure was due to a sticking solenoid) over the years is not a good guide.
Cheeseburger?
Yum!
Have a good night Sis!
Oh Dear!
I hope not!
;-)
Dang, that's a cute kid. I love chubby cheeks...
That would make cool pictures.
You really are very thoughtful Bob.
Thanks.
(((BOB)))
Well..thank goodness for Globull Warming or the temp would be -22 instead of the present balmy -21.
On a positive note...I just won $10 on a scratch Bingo ticket. WooHoo!!!
If the vehicle is slow starting in the morning, when everything is cold, but performs well at other times during the day, that is an indication that the battery may be getting weak.
Some battery maintenance is always advisable, checking the water level if possible and adding distilled water.
But if the vehicle is hard starting even when it is warm, and the battery should be well charged, that is an indication that the starter is beginning to fail.
Unfortunately, they can occasionally fail in a rather catastrophic manner, as I learned recently, taking some of the electrical systems and electronics with it.
The secret of happiness is finding joy in little things ... the world is filled with little things.
The Chinese were able to hit a spa but it will be several years before they can hit a satellite.
That sounds like a water drip, a cicada, and a child's flute trio.
Dive by post. Glad to see y'all in good spirits tonight!
What the....???
Was that an ORGAN playing? Horrors! Couldn't you go solo? *\;-)
I'll take your offering and counter with the opening of one of the greats of classical Highland Bagpipe music, the Piobaireachd "Lasan Phadruig Caogach" ("A Flame of Wrath [for Squinting Peter]*"), here.
(I don't recognize the M3U file format, but my Linux box does. Interestingly, the piper here was my very first teacher. I've not seen him in well over twenty years, but I can hear that his own skill has grown considerably in that time.)
* Nicely sinister story follows the title...
LOL! Not sure I can handel that...
It does give impetus to the importance of electing someone who will protect the nation properly in the next Presidential election.
That's pretty cold for S.Ont.
Are you getting black ice?
Are you getting a ticket for the February lottery?
A million/year for 25 years, tax free.
*dreaming*
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.