President Hu Jintao sent a congratulatory letter to a
conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of China's aerospace
industry yesterday.
Hu said that the aerospace industry is a significant symbol of
the nation's strength. "We have made great achievements including
developing the nuclear bomb, missiles, artificial satellites and
manned space flights, and have established an independent and
complete system for the aerospace industry and scientific
research," he said.
As China's economic and social development progresses, there are
bright prospects for the aerospace industry, he said.
Premier Wen Jiabao, who was present at the meeting,
said that the development of China's aerospace industry had been
based on self-reliance and innovation.
He asked Chinese scientists and engineers to form an innovation
system for space science and technology and acquire more
intellectual property rights in key space areas.
Wen also called for more international exchanges and cooperation
in aerospace development.
China has signed 16 international space cooperation deals and
memorandums with 13 countries, space agencies and international
organizations over the past five years.
The country will prioritize collaborations in such areas as
astronomy research, space physics, micro-gravity science, space
life science, lunar exploration and planetary exploration, space
officials said.
China began developing space technology in 1956, when the
country opened its first institute for missile and rocket research,
the No.5 Research Institute attached to the Ministry of National
Defense, with scientist Qian Xuesen as its first director.
The country launched its first manned spacecraft, Shenzhou V,
into orbit in October 2003, making it the third nation after the
former Soviet Union and the US to send a man into space.
The Shenzhou VI manned spacecraft completed a five-day flight in
October last year with two astronauts on board carrying out
space-based experiments. It was the first time Chinese astronauts
had engaged in experiments in space, another major achievement in
the sphere of manned space flight.
(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily October 14, 2006)