China is requesting that the United States secure a Chinese space station and its three-person crew after Elon Musk’s SpaceX fired satellites that nearly collided with the station. Following the July 1 and October 21 mishaps, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman accused United States of neglecting its treaty commitments to guarantee the safety of the Tiangong station’s three-member crew. During the protest to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on 6 December, the Chinese government claimed that the Tiangong executed evasive maneuvers to avoid a probable collision with Starlink satellites launched by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. According to Zhao Lijian (the spokesman), the US should take appropriate measures to avoid similar occurrences from happening again. Zhao accused the United States of failing to uphold its commitments under a 1967 treaty on the peaceful use of space to guard the safety of astronauts.
Source: Viewers Corner News.