From [U.K.] Telegraph:
"China has secretly fired powerful laser weapons designed to disable American spy satellites by "blinding" their sensitive surveillance devices, it was reported yesterday.
The news report can be found here. (HT: Drudge Report)
UPDATE 9/29/06 - John Derbyshire responds to a report of Sino-Fascist sentiments within certain segments of Chinese society.
UPDATE 10/1/06 An Investors Business Daily article points out that
The tests are part of a Chinese goal of developing "asymmetrical" warfare capabilities designed to neutralize any technological and quantitative advantage the U.S. might have. In any future conflict with the U.S., such as regarding the defense of Taiwan, the ability to blind our eyes in space would be critical to Chinese plans. . . .
Rather than trying to match us tank for tank or microchip for microchip, China plans to deny us full use of our capabilities, according to the Pentagon's analysis, by fielding "disruptive military technologies that could over time offset traditional U.S. military advantages."
Captain Shen Zhong of the chinese Navy Research Institute recently acknowledged that
"The mastery of outer space will be requisite for military victory, with outer space becoming the new venue for combat."