BBC
Thursday, January 18, 2007

The United States, Australia and Canada have criticised China over a weapons test it is said to have carried out in space last week.

The Americans say the Chinese sent up a ballistic missile to destroy an ageing weather satellite.

They say the test went against the spirit of co-operation both countries aspire to in the area of civil space.

Reports say Britain, South Korea and Japan were expected to express their concerns to China soon.

Earlier, a report in the American Aviation Week magazine said that US spy agencies had concluded that China conducted a successful test of a satellite-killing weapon on January 11.

It said China knocked out the weather satellite with a "kinetic kill vehicle" launched on board a ballistic missile.

The impact occurred at more than 500 miles (800 km) above Earth.