The government has kept a low profile on commemorating the anniversary. The only major commemoration is the issue of two triangular stamps by China Post. Public interest in the Shenzhou mission and the space program seemed to remain high. Shanghai Morning Post reported that more than 1,000 people queued overnight to wait for opening of post offices to purchase the souvenir stamps.

Instead the government issued its first ever long-range space plan, a White Paper titled "China's Space Activities", on the anniversary occasion. Xinhua News Agency distributed the 12,000 Chinese characters document, also officially issued in English, to domestic and worldwide media.

There are four sections in the White Paper, which lays out the "Aims and Principles," "Present Situation," "Future Development," and "International Cooperation" of the Chinese space program.

However, there is very little new information in the document. In fact the issues and topics discussed in the White Paper appear to be a collection of information that Xinhua has dispatched in the past year and from various speeches delivered by key space officials in the past months, such as at the World Space Week celebration here last month and the Airshow China 2000 in Zhuhai two weeks ago. Space Daily have also reported many of these issues and topics. Readers who are interested in the details of the White Paper are referred to the weblinks at the end of this article.

A key section of the White Paper is the future development of the space program. The government outlines two sets of objectives to be achieved by 2010 and 2020.

The objectives set for the next decade include establishing and commercializing different satellite application systems, such as remote sensing, positioning and navigation, and telecommunications; expanding satellite research in space sciences and deep space exploration which includes expeditions to the Moon; realizing the manned space program; enhancing the capability of the current generation of Changzheng ("Long March") rockets and developing a new generation of low-cost, environmentally benign launchers.

The objectives for the ten years that follow is further development and expansion of these projects.

But the document only provides a very general description and timeframe of these goals and lacks the details. The document also lacks any dollar figures. The government rarely discloses such information for virtually all Chinese space projects.

As much as the wish list portraited in the White Paper is impressive and ambitious, questions remain as to whether there will be sufficient resources, particularly financial resource, to accomplish these tasks.

Last month during a speech delivered here at the International Conference of Engineering and Technological Sciences, Zhou Zhicheng, a researcher from the Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering, Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST), lamented that chronic shortage of capital and the weak industrial base had been affecting the quality and production rate of satellites.

Perhaps the same factors are causing a lengthy pause in testing the Shenzhou manned spacecraft. The second test flight, dubbed Shenzhou-2, was rumored to be launched around the time of National Day on October 1. The launch has yet to occur.

The White Paper does not make a single reference to military applications of the space program. The document dwells on the principles that "exploration and utilization of outer space should be for peaceful purposes and benefit the whole of mankind" and "international space cooperation should be carried out on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, mutual complementarity and common development, and the generally accepted principles of international law." It remains to be seen how closely China adheres to these general principles.

Foreign reaction to the White Paper appears to be favourable. Vyacheslav Mikhailichenko, a spokeman for the Russian space agency Rosviacosmos, told ITAR-TASS: "The country [China] which has the necessary scientific-technical potential and which invests big funds into the space industry is capable to make a manned space flight without any doubt." In recent years Russia has provided technical assistance and consultation to China, especially in the area of manned spaceflight.

Chinese space officials are delighted with the release of the White Paper. In an interview with Science and Technology Daily last Thursday (Nov. 23), Assistant Director of the Chinese space agency China National Space Administration (CNSA) Guo Baozhu said, "The release of China's first ever White Paper on space activities is a delightful event for all of us involved in aerospace. This shows that the nation has given the whole space program a holistic consideration, and an important meaning to the overall coordinated development of Chinese space activities."

When asked about the timing and background of the release of the White Paper, Guo explained, "In more than 40 years, China's space achievements have caught worldwide attention and contributed to building the national economy and defense.

"At the time when humanity is about to enter the 21st century, the direction of development, thinking, aims, principles, and goals of the Chinese space program has drawn concerns both domestically and overseas. There is a need to make a public explanation."

Guo stressed, "Innovation is the spirit of a nation. Chinese space development is a history of self-development and difficult struggle. Chinese rely on their own hard work, smartness and wisdom to reach the present series of important achievements."

Related Links
Summary of the White Paper (English)
Full text of the White Paper (English)
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