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Taiwan sees China space program as harmless, offers good wishes

Posted on: Wednesday, 15 October 2003, 06:00 CDT

TAIPEI, Oct. 15 (Kyodo) -- Taiwan offered its good wishes to China after the launch of its first manned spacecraft on Wednesday, saying it would not harm the island's security for the foreseeable future.

''We are glad to see that the Shenzhou No. 5 has been successfully launched this morning,'' National Space Program Office Director Lee Lou-Chuang told the legislature's science and information committee.

Earlier in the day, Chinese media reported that the spacecraft had blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia at 9 a.m. and entered its pre-set orbit 10 minutes later. The vessel is being piloted by Yang Liwei, a 38-year-old lieutenant colonel in the People's Liberation Army.

''Unlike China, whose goal has been to demonstrate its national power, Taiwan like many other mid-sized countries should seek international collaboration in the global space competition and develop advanced science satellites,'' Lou told a group of lawmakers.

Taiwan launched its first science satellite, ROCSAT-1, in January 1999, which introduced the island into the space technology arena. The ROCSAT-2 satellite scheduled to be launched by the end of this year will produce daily high-resolution images over Taiwan and its vicinity.

Meanwhile, local strategic experts also dismissed speculation and concerns that China's space program will greatly strengthen its military might and thus enable it to spy on the island.

''The project itself, mainly to put its own astronauts into space, was more for building national confidence as well as for enhancing China's international status than for military purposes,'' said Holmes Liao, adviser for the Foreign Ministry.

''It carries neither specific military nor business missions, and will not affect Taiwan's national security at the moment,'' he said.

China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and vows to reclaim the island, by force if necessary.

By sending the Shenzhou No. 5 into space, China has become the third country, after Russia and the United States, to carry out manned space activities independently.

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