BEIJING, 29 December 2021, (TON): Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said “the actions of US space companies endanger astronauts in orbit, the US government needs to start respecting international space law and take appropriate measures.”

Earlier, China’s permanent representatives to the UN sent a note to the UN Secretary General, in which they said that the Chinese orbital station Tiangong had to maneuver twice this year to avoid collisions with the US company SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.

The note also notes that the satellites have come too close to the station, jeopardizing the safety of the Chinese astronauts there.

Lijian said at a briefing “I can state with full responsibility that the satellites of the American company SpaceX twice this year found themselves at a dangerous distance from the Chinese space station – in July and October. The Chinese astronauts were at the station at that time. They had to take emergency measures to prevent a collision.”

He also recalled that, according to the international treaty on outer space, signed in 1967, including by the United States, all countries of the world must protect the safety of astronauts, and in the event of situations that threaten their lives and health, immediately inform the UN Secretary General.