The US-China rivalry has escalated in outer space with the NASA chief raising a red flag over Beijing’s plan to land a manned mission on the moon.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that China might "take over" the moon as part of a military programme.

"We must be very concerned that China is landing on the moon and saying: 'It's ours now and you stay out'," Nelson told German newspaper Bild in an interview published on Saturday.

The U.S. space agency chief said China's space programme was a military one and was being carried out with ideas and technology stolen from other countries.

However, China on Monday rejected the NASA chief’s statement as an “irresponsible smear” and said it has always called for the building of a community of nations in outer space.

China has stepped up the pace of its space programme in the past decade, with exploration of the moon a major area of focus. China made its first lunar uncrewed landing in 2013 and expects to launch rockets powerful enough to send astronauts to the moon towards the end of this decade.

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