BEIJING, China (Reuters) — China is drafting laws governing outer space, state media on Monday quoted the country’s first astronaut as saying at a time when Beijing’s space drive is drawing growing international concern.
The China News Service cited Yang Liwei, who became China’s first man in space in 2003, as saying the laws would address how to “effectively protect the space environment, reduce or eradicate fragments in space and expand international cooperation.”
It did not give details but China’s laws often serve as broad political statements rather than fine-tuned judicial tools. Yang was speaking to an audience of university students over the weekend.
Beijing’s space plans face increasing international scrutiny amid fears about a potential space arms race with the United States and other powers.
In January, China launched a ground-based ballistic missile to pulverize one of its own weather satellites about 537 miles above the Earth in a demonstration of its ability to attack low-orbit satellites.
Beijing acknowledged the act only after 12 days of official silence. Experts have said fragments from the destroyed satellite are a danger to other space traffic.
China is only the third country to send a man into space after the former Soviet Union and United States, and it launched a second manned space flight in 2005. It has plans to send a manned craft to the moon.
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