Welcome to the New Cold War

The Chinese have successfully deployed a ground based missile and shot down one of their own old weather satellites.

The US protested of course because as CNN notes "Under a space policy authorized by President Bush in August, the United States asserts a right to "freedom of action in space" and says it will "deter others from either impeding those rights or developing capabilities intended to do so."

The policy includes the right to "deny, if necessary, adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to U.S. national interests."

In other words "It's mine, leave it alone or I'll hit you!"

Except that China owns enough of the US debt to bring the US economy down should push come to shove.

Expect the US to speed up development of their laser based satellite destroyer.