Beijing: China on Tuesday admitted publicly for the first time to have conducted an anti-satellite test on January 11, ending days of silence on the matter. It stressed, however, that the test was not intended to spark an arms race in space.

The test, in which China used a missile to shoot down one of its old weather satellites, was criticised by the United States and Japan, which expressed concerns that the move could escalate a race for arms in space.

China's long silence on the matter caused further unease, with the U.S. pointing to the allegedly opaque nature of China's military modernisation programme.

At a press briefing in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Jianchao said Beijing had informed the U.S. of the test.

The matter was apparently discussed last Sunday during a visit to Beijing by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill.

"What needs to be stressed is that China has always advocated the peaceful use of space, and opposes the weaponisation of space as well as an arms race in space," Mr. Liu said. He added that the test was "not directed at any country and does not constitute a threat to any country."

When asked why China delayed reporting the test for so long, the spokesperson said, "China has nothing to hide. After various parties expressed concern, we explained this test in outer space to them."

Some American analysts have sounded alarm bells, saying that the test represents an indirect threat to U.S. defence systems by raising the possibility that its spy satellites could be shot down.

The U.S. military has had the capability to shoot down satellites since the 1980s but the last time it conducted such a test was in 1985.

While there are currently no international treaties that outlaw anti-satellite tests, several countries have expressed concern that the debris from this kind of test might damage other space installations.

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