Chinese state media and military accused the US of threatening global security after a Reuters report found SpaceX is building hundreds of spy satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office under a $1.8 billion classified contract.
A Chinese military social media account criticized the US for “double standards” in accusing Chinese tech companies of security risks while helping the “villain do evil.”
“We urge U.S. companies to not help a villain do evil,” the Junzhengping account wrote.
“All countries worldwide should be vigilant and protect against new and even bigger security threats created by the U.S. government,” they said.
A Chinese military magazine editor said the SpaceX satellite project poses challenges to security and stability by enabling more sensitive US intelligence reconnaissance.
The SpaceX project posed “a challenge to global security and stability,” Aerospace Knowledge chief editor Wang Yanan said.
“The United States’ high-profile intelligence reconnaissance of countries or regions it is concerned about will inevitably cause some hot issues to become more sensitive or even escalate,” Wang said.
Neither mention criticized Elon Musk or Tesla’s large China operations directly.
The US did not comment on the extent of SpaceX’s involvement in the classified satellite network, which is separate from its commercial Starlink broadband constellation.
