China accuses the United States of not taking responsibility for satellites of the company SpaceX. China’s foreign ministry says Washington didn’t give a damn when problems arose with the company’s Starlink satellites last year.

The ministry says the satellites came dangerously close to the Chinese space station last year. After the incident, Chinese authorities attempted several times to reach the US via email, a spokesman said. “They got no response.”

China informed the United Nations in December about the incidents involving satellites near the space station. They took place in July and October. The US, for its part, says there was no need to warn China of the approaching satellites because the likelihood of a collision was slim.

The Chinese authorities are not satisfied with that explanation. The ministry spokesman said the Americans are trying to evade responsibility. They would not behave the way a “space force” should.

Tens of thousands of large and small pieces of space debris are flying around the Earth at a speed of about 28,000 kilometres per hour. As a result, they can cause a lot of damage in a collision.

For example, in November last year, the International Space Station had to give way to the remains of a Chinese weather satellite. China had blown up that satellite in 2007 to test a projectile. Then, a few weeks later, the ISS had to swerve again, this time for the remains of an American rocket.