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<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>BEIJING (AP) – China hopes to join an international space station project that already counts leading space powers like the United States and Russia as its members, a government official said Tuesday. <br /><br />China takes great pride in its expanding space program and sees it as a way to validate its claims to be one of the world's leading scientific nations. On Tuesday, state-run newspapers said China will launch its first lunar probe later this month, just weeks after regional rival Japan successfully sent a lunar satellite into orbit. <br /><br />But China does not participate in the International Space Station, due in part to American unease about allowing a communist dictatorship a place aboard. <br /><br />"We hope to take part in activities related to the international space station,"' Li Xueyong, a vice minister of science and technology. "If I am not mistaken, this program has 16 countries currently involved and we hope to be the 17th partner." <br /><br />A reporter had asked whether China in the future would be more likely to compete or cooperate with America in space. Li said China wanted to cooperate with the United States, but gave no specifics.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />LINK<br /><br />People have wondered about this since China announced its intentions to have a manned space program. A few years ago I would have said go for it. Now, after the anti-satellite test in January, I'm not so sure. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em>So, again we are defeated. This victory belongs to the farmers, not us.</em></p><p><strong>-Kambei Shimada from the movie Seven Samurai</strong></p> </div>