New Delhi: After keeping mum for days, China on Tuesday confirmed that it had successfully shot down one of its own satellites with a missile, catapulting itself into an exclusive club that included the United States and Russia till now.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said China had briefed the US, Japan and other countries, which had expressed fears that the test could spark an arms race in space, and insisted that it "did not constitute a threat to any country".
"China has never, and will never, participate in any form of a space arms race," he said.
Asked whether China had informed India about the test, Liu said he could not confirm but would check with relevant departments if New Delhi was informed.
This is the first time that Beijing has publicly confirmed the satellite strike, reportedly conducted on January 11.
US officials, quoting spy satellite data, had released the news last week, putting pressure on Beijing to speak about the test.
(With inputs from PTI)
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