After many wishy-washy statements, China for the first time confirmed the successful testing of a satellite killer missile but insisted that it was “peaceful development of outer space” and “opposes the arming of space and military competition in space.” Foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told news agencies that “China has never, and will never, participate in any form of space arms race.”

When it shot down an ageing weather satellite, China is the third country after the US and erstwhile Soviet Union to shoot down something in space. The test drew sharp condemnation from the US, Japan, and Australia and analysts speculated that this could be the start of a new arms race in space since China can now theoretically shoot down satellite of any nation from space.

India needs to follow developments in this area very closely since its enmity with China has not yet been resolved. A basic security premise would be to have at least parity in technology to preserve its satellite assets in space and also retain a second strike capability.