Blinken raises Russia's anti-satellite arm with China, India

Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised US concerns that Russia was developing a space-based anti-satellite weapon at talks on Friday with China's top diplomat Wang Yi.

The issue was also brought up at Blinken's meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, a US official said.

Washington had made the announcement about the "space-based" weapon on Thursday, something that Moscow denied, calling them "malicious" and "unfounded" claims.

At meetings with Wang and Jaishankar, Blinken "emphasised that the pursuit of this capability should be a matter of concern", said the US official.

"He will continue raising it in additional meetings at the Munich Security Conference," added the official.

Blinken and Wang's meeting came after an extremely fraught period between the two world giants over a host of issues from tensions over Taiwan to trade and human rights problems.

Washington and Beijing have also been at odds over China's detente with Russia as Moscow wages war on Ukraine.

But tensions have eased markedly over the past year as the administration of US President Joe Biden pursues dialogue with China, although Beijing still resents US measures such as the banning of exports of advanced semiconductors.

Making good on a commitment during a November summit between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a US delegation held an inaugural meeting in February in China on the flow of fentanyl, the powerful painkiller behind an addiction epidemic in the United States.

US officials believe China wants to focus on economic headwinds at home and feel that it acted with comparative moderation during last month's elections in Taiwan.