A passenger airliner flies past the moon in the capital city Beijing, Jan 17, 2019.(ANDY WONG / AP)

BEIJING - The United States should stop fueling the militarization and weaponization of outer space, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday.

Zhao made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on reports that the US Space Force recently activated the National Space Intelligence Center.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on reports that the US Space Force recently activated the National Space Intelligence Center

Zhao stressed that space is a global public sphere and a key factor in humanity's security and wellbeing. Preventing a space arms race is an important prerequisite for ensuring peace, tranquility and sustainable use of outer space.

"The US is the main driver in turning outer space into a weapon and a battlefield," Zhao said.

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For a long time, the US has pursued a strategy for dominance in space and openly defined outer space as a war-fighting domain, and it has been aggressively developing and deploying a variety of offensive outer space weapons such as directed energy and Counter Communications System, said Zhao. 

He added that the US frequently held military drills and advanced all-round military buildup and preparedness in outer space.

The US has engaged in intelligence theft and close-in reconnaissance in the space domain, just as it has done in other domains. This would bring a serious negative impact on global strategic stability and constitute grave threats to peace and security in outer space," Zhao said.

Zhao urged the US to behave responsibly in outer space, stop fueling the militarization and weaponization of outer space, and earnestly undertake its due responsibility of safeguarding peace and stability in outer space. 

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