It’s not that its against any treaties. Oh no;
“They say the test went against the spirit of co-operation both countries aspire to in the area of civil space.”
But, hang on, why wasn’t it written into any treaty not to develop or use anti-satellite weapons? Oh yes, Geeklawyer remembers now: because the Americans are developing and testing their own anti-sat weapons. Which of course is within the spirit of co-operation. You say that sounds a tad hypocritical but that’s only because you are some damned anti-democracy commie.
Geeklawyer imagines that for the Chinese it’s a case of ‘hope for peace prepare for war’, particularly since the US thinks it owns space and will decide who does what in it.
If the Chinese start to develop these capabilities, as it is certain they will, and develop better weapons than the US, which is likely in the near future, then obviously the Land of the Free will be less able to peacefully persuade compliance by lesser nations with its best interests.
One reason that the US may oppose banning weapons in space is because we already *have* nuclear weapons in space, in the form of the Ajax Project: http://www.WebFeats.com/EOD/