The Chinese military has issued a warning about President Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense program, cautioning that it could open a “Pandora’s box.”
Spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang accused the US of violating the Outer Space Treaty by expanding its military presence in space and fueling an arms race.
The treaty, enforced by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, prohibits placing nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction in Earth’s orbit, on celestial bodies, or in outer space. Zhang said the deployment of Golden Dome raises the risk of space becoming a battlefield, stating, “Its actions will once again open a Pandora’s box,” and accusing the US of leading the militarization of space.
On May 20, Trump revealed plans to make the Golden Dome program fully operational by 2029, marking the first deployment of space-based missile interception weapons. China previously condemned the program as “highly offensive” and contrary to peaceful space use, warning it would escalate the chance of turning space into a war zone and trigger an arms race. Russia and North Korea, allied with China, also criticized the US for destabilizing space security.
Meanwhile, US officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Space Force General Michael Guetlein, emphasized the importance of integrating space technologies and warned that adversaries are developing space weapons to threaten US security.
