Russia, China working out contingencies should US deploy 'Golden Dome' -—expert

BEIJING, September 18. /TASS/. Russia and China are proactively considering options in the event that the United States establishes the Golden Dome missile defense system, Dmitry Stefanovich, a research fellow at the Center for International Security at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), told TASS on the sidelines of the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum on international security.

"Both Russia and China have, in fact, been preparing for the possibility of such a scenario for quite some time and, accordingly, have been pre-emptively devising ways to counter the ‘Golden Dome,’ whatever form it may take," the expert said.

According to him, the final configuration of the US system and its potential effectiveness remain unclear for now. At the same time, the Russian and Chinese militaries must factor the contingency that the US could achieve a technological breakthrough into its strategic planning.

Stefanovich believes that the project reflects Washington’s desire to find a technical solution capable of ensuring US strategic invulnerability. The US administration defines the Golden Dome as a multi-layered system designed to protect US territory from ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles.