BEIJING, Dec 29, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - Beijing on Tuesday accused the United

States of irresponsible and unsafe conduct in space over two "close
encounters" between the Chinese space station and satellites operated by Elon
Musk's SpaceX.

  Tiangong, China's new space station, had to manoeuvre to avoid colliding
with one Starlink satellite in July and with another in October, according to
a note submitted by Beijing to the United Nations space agency this month.

  The note said the incidents "constituted dangers to the life or health of
astronauts aboard the China Space Station".

  "The US... ignores its obligations under international treaties, posing a
serious threat to the lives and safety of astronauts," Chinese foreign
ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a routine briefing on Tuesday.

  Starlink, a division of SpaceX, operates a constellation of close to 2,000
satellites that aims to provide internet access to most parts of Earth.

   SpaceX is a private American company, independent of the US military and
civilian space agency NASA.

  But China said in its note to the UN that members of the Outer Space Treaty
-- the foundation of international space law -- are also responsible for
actions by their non-government entities.

  Addressing reporters, US State Department spokesman Ned Price declined to
respond specifically to the Chinese accusations.

  "We have encouraged all countries with space programs to be responsible
actors, to avoid acts that may put in danger astronauts, cosmonauts, others
who are orbiting the Earth or who have the potential to," Price said. SpaceX
has not responded to a request for comment.

  Evasive manoeuvres to reduce the risk of collisions in space are becoming
more frequent as more objects enter Earth's orbit, said Jonathan McDowell of
the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

  "We've really noticed the increase in the number of close passes since
Starlink started getting deployed," he told AFP.

  Any collision would likely "completely demolish" the Chinese space station
and kill everyone on board, McDowell added.

  The core module of China's station Tiangong -- meaning "heavenly palace" --
entered orbit earlier this year, and it is expected to become fully
operational next year.

  - 'Prepare to boycott Tesla' -

  Beijing's complaint about Starlink prompted criticism on Chinese social
media of SpaceX's billionaire founder Musk, who is widely admired in China.

  One hashtag about the topic on the Twitter-like Weibo platform racked up 90
million views Tuesday.

  "How ironic that Chinese people buy Tesla, contributing large sums of money
so Musk can launch Starlink, and then he (nearly) crashes into China's space
station," one user commented.

  Musk's electric car maker Tesla sells tens of thousands of vehicles in
China each month, though the firm's reputation has taken a hit this year
following a spate of crashes, scandals and data security concerns.

  "Prepare to boycott Tesla," said another Weibo user, echoing a common
response in China to foreign brands perceived to be acting contrary to
national interests.