China's president Xi Jinping has reportedly urged Beijing's air force to speed up its air and space integration.
Speaking at the air force headquarters in Beijing, Xi Jinping asked officers to speed up air and space integration and sharpen their offensive and defensive capabilities.
According to FOX News, while it is not clear as to how China expects to do this, the state media on Tuesday called it a response to the United States' increasing militarization of space.
An unnamed official explained that the idea of combining air and space capability is not new to the Chinese air force, as a host of experts have underscored the importance of space.
Meanwhile, China says its space program is for peaceful means, but a Pentagon report released last year claimed Beijing is looking at ways to block its rivals from using space-based assets during a crisis, the report added.
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