US Participation in Multilateral Space Arms Control Treaty Vital - Chinese Official

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th September, 2018) The participation of the United States in a multilateral treaty on space arms control is essential, Hu Bin, counselor of the Department of Treaty and Law at China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

On August 28, the Chinese Foreign Ministry called for the adoption of a multilateral agreement for the control over arms in space to ensure peace and security. The call came after Washington revealed plans to reassert "leadership in space" by ensuring US military supremacy with a Space Force as a separate branch of the military.

"Of course the United States should be in [the treaty], it would be better if the United States is in because the United States is a very powerful space-faring country. We need US participation, that is why China tries to accommodate the concerns [of other countries]," Hu said on the sidelines of the first UN Conference on Space Law and Policy, asked whether such an agreement would be effective without US participation.

Hu added that in order to persuade the United States to join the treaty, it would be necessary to discuss common interest. According to the Chinese official, even if the United States refuses to join the initiative, other countries will still have an international legal framework to regulate the use of arms in space.

"In the worst case scenario, if the United States insists on non-participation, I think the rest of international society do have the possibility to have a legal instrument to save the environment of space," Hu said.

The conference is co-organized by the UNOOSA and Russian government. It is hosted by Russian state space corporation Roscosmos in Moscow. The event kicked off earlier on Tuesday and will last through Thursday.