The Chinese Foreign Ministry has criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for endangering the “global strategic balance and stability” through his administration's advancement of the “Golden Dome” missile defense shield program, calling on the United States to abandon the initiative.

Trump and his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unveiled the plan on Tuesday while confirming ongoing efforts to develop a comprehensive missile defense system, which Trump claimed would be capable of “intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space.”

Trump said the project would cost approximately $175 billion and become fully operational within three years.

Reacting to the announcement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday that the initiative would “heighten the risk of turning the space into a war zone and creating a space arms race and shake the international security and arms control system.”

“We urge the U.S. to give up developing and deploying the global anti-missile system, and take concrete actions to enhance strategic trust between major countries and uphold global strategic stability,” Mao added.

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