China accuses the US of hypocrisy in space and voices caution about the potential international effects from US shoot-down of spy satellite.

The comment from China came several hours after the Pentagon said a missile launched from a Navy cruiser had soared above the Pacific Ocean and smashed a dying and potentially dangerous US spy satellite.

China called on the United States Thursday to provide information about its shooting down of a defunct US spy satellite.

Earlier this month, Russia and China proposed a treaty to ban weapons in space and the use or threat of force against satellites and other spacecraft. But Washington rejected the proposal as unworkable and said it instead favors confidence-building efforts.

"The Chinese side is continuing to closely follow the US action which may influence the security of outer space and may harm other countries," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao.

Nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction are banned from space under a 1967 international treaty, but Washington's plans have caused concerns about non-nuclear arms in space.