China says foreign spies trying to steal space programme secrets

China's State Security Ministry said foreign spy intelligence agencies have been trying to steal secrets from the country's space programme as the arms race in space intensifies and emerges as a new "battlefield for military struggle".

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Safeguarding space security had become a key strategy for China's future survival and development, the ministry said in a post on its official WeChat account on Oct 23.

"In recent years, some Western countries have formed space combat forces, exercised space action capabilities and even regarded (China) as a major competitor in the space field," it added.