The test made China only the third country in the world -- after the United States and the former Soviet Union -- to shoot down an object in space.

Twelve days after the successful January 11 trial, China finally responded to intense diplomatic pressure and publicly confirmed for the first time that it had indeed carried it out.

Its close neighbour Japan and the United States have led a vocal group of countries in expressing their concern that the test could trigger an arms race in space.

The space test has also turned a spotlight on China's fast-rising military budget, which the United States claims is two to three times more than the 35 billion dollars a year Beijing officially acknowledge.

As he confirmed the satellite test, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao sought to downplay those fears, declaring China had "nothing to hide".

"China stresses that it has consistently advocated the peaceful development of outer space and it opposes the arming of space and military competition in space," Liu said.

"China has never, and will never, participate in any form of a space arms race."

The comments fit with the ruling Communist Party's insistence that China's rise as a world superpower -- whether that be in the military, trade or sports spheres -- should not be feared.

In space the breakthrough moment came in 2003 when China launched a manned mission, joining the United States and Russia as the only nations to have done so.

China -- which officially spends about 500 million dollars annually on its space programme -- is aiming for a Chinese astronaut to perform a spacewalk as early as next year and hopes to send an unmanned probe to the Moon by 2010.

In an article last year in the Communisty Party mouthpiece People's Daily, researchers at the National Defence University wrote how space was emerging as a possible theatre of operations for China's armed forces.

Their analysis listed space as an area where the People's Liberation Army must be equipped and prepared to defend the nation's interests.

"Our military should not only protect China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, but should also protect the oceans and transport routes and other economic interests as well as ... the security of space," it said.

But a government white paper released late last year on China's space aims mentioned them in vague, less threatening terms.

"China considers the development of its space industry as a strategic way to enhance its economic, scientific, technological and national defence strength," it said.

Related Links
Read More About the Chinese Space Program
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