LAST week’s successful mission instantly grants China some credibility as a superpower: not only is it a source of national pride, it implies military prowess and looks set to boost the country’s economy.
The Chinese government expects its manned space programme to enhance the reputation of China’s high-tech exports, giving it greater diplomatic and commercial power. It also sees space technology as critical to achieving technological parity with western nations and Japan. Specifically, it hopes the manned space programme will raise standards in computing, materials science, manufacturing and electronics.
China is not open about its spending, but analysts estimate that…
