In a speech at the annual Space Symposium, acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan identified China as the top threat to US interests in space, which is where “the next major conflict may be won or lost” according to the Pentagon chief.

Shanahan mentioned various Chinese capabilities and systems that pose an especially great threat, including the county’s cyber capabilities and its ground-based anti-satellite missile system. He also said that China poses a greater threat than Russia when it comes to space: “Long term, China is the one that we’re worried about. And it’s China cyber, it’s China space, it’s China hypersonics — it’s the whole package for China.”