China developing defence against near-Earth asteroids

China intends to send a spacecraft to an asteroid in 2025 or 2026 to study it and change its course. - Reuters

BEIJING (China Daily/Asia News Network): China has begun to develop a defense system against near-Earth asteroids that could potentially hit Earth, according to a key figure in the country's space industry.

Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the China National Space Administration, said on Friday (April 22) that China has started forming a research and development system for defence against near-Earth asteroids, to improve the world's capability for monitoring, warning about and handling the extraterrestrial hazards.