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China had warned that Donald Trump's huge Golden Dome missile shield risks triggering a new 'arms race'. This morning, Beijing's Foreign Ministry said the US's

proposed £400bn air and missile defence system increases the risk of a global arms race between military powers - and "urged" the White House to abandon its development and

deployment "as soon as possible". In his announcement yesterday, Trump said he expects the system will be "fully operational before the end of my term" in 2029, and will

have the capability of intercepting missiles "even if they are launched from space". The hi-tech system, which is proposed to include elements both on the ground and orbiting Earth

in space, would be able to detect and stop missiles at all four major stages of a potential attack, the White House said. This includes detecting and destroying them before a launch,

intercepting them in their earliest stage of flight, stopping them midcourse in the air, or halting them in the final minutes as they descend toward a target. Trump told reporters in the

White House yesterday: "We’ll have it done in three years... Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides

of the world." He also said that he had not yet spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Golden Dome programme, but intended to "at the right time." In a joint

statement earlier this month, China and Russia called the Golden Dome idea "deeply destabilising in nature," warning it would turn "outer space into an environment for placing

weapons and an arena for armed confrontation." The Congressional Budget Office estimated this month that the space-based components of the Golden Dome alone could cost as much as

$542billion (£400billion) over the next 20 years. Trump has requested an initial $25billion (£18billion) for the programme in his proposed tax break bill, which is now moving through

Congress. The Pentagon has warned for years that the newest missiles developed by China and Russia are so advanced that updated countermeasures are necessary. But concerns have been raised

over whether the proposal could be used to line the pockets of Trump's cronies, including Tesla billionaire and DOGE head Elon Musk. In a letter to the Defence Department’s inspector

general earlier this month, a group of 42 Democratic lawmakers wrote: "This is a deeply troubling report." "All of this raises concerns about whether defence contracts to

build a Golden Dome are an effective way to protect Americans or are meant to enrich Mr. Musk and other elites." Others warned that the technology needed to construct a Golden Dome

could still take years to develop, potentially adding on billions to the eventual cost.