From the Christian Science Monitor:
China affirmed its place in one of the world’s most exclusive clubs with the expected conclusion Monday of a second manned space flight.
More than four decades after the US and Soviet Union accomplished a similar feat, China can still lay claim to being only the third nation to put humans into orbit on its own.
But China’s achievement is still more a statement of aspiration, tenacity, and prestige than of technological prowess. It’s seen as a signal to other Asian powers that Beijing intends to claim the dominant position in what analysts predict will be the “Asian Century.”
