Chinese officials are livid with the Trump administration for making U.S. Space Force a reality and blasting it as a “direct threat to outer space peace and security.”

The sixth branch of the U.S. military is already on China’s last nerve, as Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters Monday that Beijing is “deeply concerned about it and resolutely opposed to it.”

President Trump on Friday signed into law the fiscal year 2020’s National Defense Authorization Act, which created the Space Force.

“The relevant U.S. actions are a serious violation of the international consensus on the peaceful use of outer space, undermine global strategic balance and stability, and pose a direct threat to outer space peace and security,” Mr. Geng said at a briefing, Associated Press reported.

The Chinese official also called on the international community and “major powers [to] adopt a cautious and responsible attitude to prevent outer space from becoming a new battlefield and work together to maintain lasting peace and tranquility in outer space.”

Space Force, once mocked by critics as a science-fiction fantasy akin to the “Star Wars” movie franchise, is the first new U.S. military branch since 1947.

Air Force General Jay Raymond is the first U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations.

“Let there be no mistake, the United States is the best in the world in space today, and today we’re even better,” the officer said Dec. 20. “The United States Space Force will ensure that we compete, deter and win from a position of strength in securing our way of life and our national security.”

The launch of an independent U.S. Space Force propels us into a new era dedicated to protecting U.S. national interests and security in space. @SpaceForceDoD pic.twitter.com/UE7xXoedvO — Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett (@SecAFOfficial) December 21, 2019

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