It's like comparing apples and... very, very different apples.

Last year, China carried out a test using a ground-based ballistic missile to destroy a satellite in space, prompting international alarm and fears of a space arms race.

Gen Cartwright said there was no parallel with Beijing's actions as the Chinese satellite had been much further out from Earth, meaning its debris could be floating round for decades, endangering spacecraft.

Very, very, very different apples.

Update: I don't have a lot of sympathy for them (because it's not like they couldn't have seen this coming), but I do feel a little bad for State Department people who have to say things like this:

The administration is sensitive to international concerns that the United States might be moving toward beefing up its anti-satellite weapons or developing an offensive anti-satellite system, and the diplomatic message is an attempt to convince foreign countries that they need not worry. Unlike the Chinese anti-satellite test, the cable said, the U.S. attempt to destroy the potentially dangerous satellite is being done for peaceful reasons and in a transparent way.