US plans to build a new missile defence system would raise the risk of an arms race and could “turn outer space into a battlefield”, Beijing has warned. Describing Washington as being “obsessed with pursuing absolute security”, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on May 21, 2025, said the “Golden Dome” missile defence system proposed by US President Donald Trump would entail a “significant increase in outer space combat means”, including research and development and the deployment of orbital interception systems. Beijing’s comments came a day after Trump laid out fresh details of his plan for the US$175 billion Golden Dome programme, a system proposed to protect the US from foreign attacks, including from China and Russia.