February 13, 2007	Tuesday	Muharram 24, 1428

TOKYO, Feb 12: China does not plan another anti-satellite test, its defence minister was quoted as saying on Monday, a month after Beijing became the third country to shoot down an object in space.

“We do not plan further tests,” Japan’s former defence chief Fukushiro Nukaga quoted National Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan as telling him during a meeting in Beijing, according to Kyodo News.

China on Jan 11, destroyed one of its own orbiting weather satellites in space with a ballistic missile, acknowledging the test nearly two weeks later after it provoked an international outcry.

The only other countries to carry out such “Star Wars” experiments were the United States and the former Soviet Union, which entered a moratorium in 1985 amid concern over debris in space.

The Chinese test triggered condemnation worldwide, including from the United States and Japan, which both have spy satellites in space.

China, which has pressed the United States for a permanent ban on satellite-killer tests, has said its programme should not be considered a threat.— AFP