TOKYO: The United States Space Force has had internal discussions about setting up a hotline with China to prevent crises in space, US commander General Chance Saltzman said on Monday.

The chief of space operations said a direct line of communication would be valuable in de-escalating tensions but that the US had not yet engaged with China to establish one.

“What we have talked about on the US side at least is opening up a line of communication to make sure that if there is a crisis, we know who we can contact,” Saltzman said, adding that it would be up to President Joe Biden and the State Department to take the lead on such discussions.

The comments come as the US Space Force looks into establishing a branch in Japan, as China’s military ambitions in the Indo-Pacific unnerve its neighbours and the war in Ukraine spotlights the importance of space capabilities in warfare.

Japan has been especially concerned about Taiwan and any lessons China may have drawn from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has not renounced the use of force to bring the island under Beijing’s control.

Saltzman, who held talks with top Japanese defence officials in Tokyo on Monday, confirmed that the space force was exploring the potential establishment of a local headquarters in Japan.

He did not elaborate on the location or the purpose it would serve, but did say it could look similar to a branch established in South Korea in November last year.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023