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The ISS  (Source: NASA)
China wants in, but the U.S. may not allow it

Chinese space officials today announced the country is still willing to work alongside the United States on extraterrestrial endeavors, especially the International Space Station.

"We sincerely hope to conduct cooperation with the United States in the field of space," said Li Xueyong, Vice Minister of Space and Technology.  "At some point we hope to take part in the activities relating to international space stations."

Sixteen nations are currently involved in the ISS project, but China is not one of them even though the country has one of the fastest growing space programs in the world.  China would ultimately like to have an astronaut stationed on the ISS in the future, but must convince the United States and other partners to allow a communist nation to be allowed to participate in the project.

Li did not clearly specify how China hopes to help the participating nations work on the ISS.

State media in China reported the country plans to launch its first lunar probe before November, only weeks after Japan launched one into orbit.  In 2003, China became the third nation to successfully launch an astronaut into orbit with no help from other nations.

There is growing concern over the country's expanding space program, which reached a new level after China announced it had destroyed an old satellite last January by shooting a land-based missile to destroy it.  Critics of the launch claim China could theoretically launch a missile to destroy active military satellites, though Chinese officials still claim the nation has only peaceful plans for space.

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RE: china is a nice place
By Etsp on 10/16/2007 5:21:13 PM , Rating: 1
Um... China is a republic...they even refer to themselves as "The peoples Republic of China" just like North Korea is a republic, as in "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea" just as the United States is a Republic.


RE: china is a nice place
By Ammohunt on 10/16/2007 5:24:21 PM , Rating: 2
yeah...and i'm a Chinese jet pilot.


RE: china is a nice place
By Tsuwamono on 10/16/2007 5:57:18 PM , Rating: 2
how does that relate to anything.. btw good job on being a pilot.


RE: china is a nice place
By Ammohunt on 10/16/2007 11:30:09 PM , Rating: 2
Army of Darkness? nevermind. Constitutional Republic != Peoples Republic I see you got an F- in Civics


RE: china is a nice place
By TimberJon on 10/16/2007 6:00:05 PM , Rating: 1
I'm a Chinese jet pilot as well. Were you also sent home because of the Duct Tape shortage?


RE: china is a nice place
By Samus on 10/16/2007 9:19:10 PM , Rating: 2
omg lolz


RE: china is a nice place
By Hieyeck on 10/16/07, Rating: 0
RE: china is a nice place
By ss284 on 10/16/2007 7:52:03 PM , Rating: 2
What has china gotten done in the past 50 years that makes them so amazing?


RE: china is a nice place
By Flunk on 10/16/2007 11:55:55 PM , Rating: 2
Manufactured everything the "developed world" wants to buy. Seriously, if China cut off trade to the US the economy would be essentially dead in the water.


RE: china is a nice place
By wordsworm on 10/17/2007 12:17:40 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
What has china gotten done in the past 50 years that makes them so amazing?
Who cares about the last 50 years. Let's just say that the world owes thanks to many of its inventions over the last 4,000. Even the stuff that had been attributed to the Persians is not being found to be in fact from China. Here's just a short list of China's incalculably important contributions to the world.
1) Ceramics (they're not just good for dishes!)
2) the compass
3) the printing press
4) the rudder
5) (for boats) compartments that allow a boat, even wtih a pierced hull, to float.
6) the 3 sail boat which allowed boats to sail even when the wind wasn't directly behind them.
7) gun powder
8) cast iron
9) The computer (think non-digital)
10) earthquake sensors
11) navigation by stars (the Arabs got that from China)

The best question would be 'Where would the world be without China?' followed by 'if the US doesn't partner with them, they'll do it anyways because it's China.'

If you want to look at some of the amazing achievements in the last 50 years, only a few things come to mind. The world's largest dam is pretty much complete and an impressive railway to Lhasa that has some really impressive technologies that make it possible.


RE: china is a nice place
By oldman42 on 10/17/2007 12:48:06 AM , Rating: 2
Back in the old days China actually invented stuff. In the last 50 years they have acquired most if not all of their technologies by reverse engineering patented tech by agreeing to manufacture it for 10 units of currency to the rest of the world, then selling the copied materials for 2 units within China. This has spurred their economic growth. They openly disavow all copyrights and patents which are recognized by the rest of the world. Remember the article about CHD-DVD? Remarkably similar to HD-DVD, yet completely royalty free. Ever look at their domestic manufactured automobiles? Nearly every vehicle is directly attributable to a Euro, Japanese, or US car design.

I don't want them in on the ISS 'cos Company A has the rights to design and manufacture Component X, but I guarantee that component will suddenly show up on a China only product with no credit to the designers.


RE: china is a nice place
By cheetah2k on 10/17/07, Rating: 0
RE: china is a nice place
By adam92682 on 10/17/2007 1:20:47 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
What has china gotten done in the past 50 years that makes them so amazing?
Orange Chicken?


RE: china is a nice place
By NullSubroutine on 10/17/2007 1:26:13 AM , Rating: 2
China is a Republic
quote:
...the term "republic" is generally applied to a state where the government's political power depends solely on the consent, however nominal , of the people governed.


And China started off as 'Maoists' which was considered a offshoot or revolution of Marxism and Leninism (known as MLM,Marxism-Leninism-Maoism).

quote:
Since the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, and the reforms of Deng Xiaoping starting in 1978, the role of Mao's ideology within the PRC has radically changed.[9] Although Mao Zedong Thought nominally remains the state ideology, Deng's admonition to seek truth from facts means that state policies are judged on their practical consequences and the role of ideology in determining policy has been considerably reduced. Deng also separated Mao from Maoism, making it clear that Mao was fallible and hence that the truth of Maoism comes from observing social consequences rather than by using Mao's quotations as holy writ, as was done in Mao's lifetime.


Just because China's government doesn't fit into your notion of a "Republic" does not mean it is not one. And to simply label Chinese "communists" means you lack understanding of what the governments are and do.

The evolution of Socialism and Communism require that you understand the purpose of the forms of society. Socialism is not a 'government' as it sets no rule on how a government could be formed, you could have a Democratic or Authoritarian (Despotism) Socialist Government (like Russia).

Communism on the other hand (more correctly Leninsim) was a government style of change, it was a movement to abolish the old aristocracy much like what we have today in the united states with Corporations (which are usually owned by historically rich families). The Aristocrats owned the land, thereby owned the people (they controlled the means of production). The Corporations own the company and thereby own the people. Communism sought all people own the land, so that the Aristocrats would no longer own the people.

Lenin also foresaw that the rich/business would always try to take back the land from the people so installed a government that would keep out the evil rich people, but Leninism is only meant to build (or slightly maintain) a country in a Capitalist world. Socialism is better suited in a non-Capitalist world. Of course this is an over simplification of things.

China could not forever sit as Maoists, the old ways of Lenin and Mao Zedong and view of land ownership would not allow China to survive in the world of globalization. The changes of Deng Xiaoping, allowed China to have 'ownership' of business. Business that does not compete against other Chinese, but against the world market. And thus allows China to compete and prosper.


RE: china is a nice place
By Ringold on 10/17/2007 4:29:59 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
shooting the economy to bits - Canadian dollar reaches parity (lol);


What's that got to do with anything else going on? If fact means anything to you at all (and the rest of your post suggests that you are indeed an intelligent person) you ought to recognize that Bush's handling of the economy has been superb in so far as any president directly has influence of the economy. Capital gains and dividend tax cuts especially have helped the equities markets and the tax cuts in general have lead to record, or almost record, economic growth, prosperity and retirement accounts flush with gains. If it hasn't been the longest bull market in history then it's probably the second. Unemployment is, if you ignore the normal healthy structural unemployment and what not, is practically zero.

Oh, and the Clinton years of economic growth? Interesting that it occured after the Republican's forced tax cuts.

So.. uh.. where's the economy shot to bits again, asides from idiot homeowners buying properties on a speculative basis that they couldn't afford to actually hold on to for the long run? Not that it's really hurting the rest of the macro economy, mind you, but just covering that base in case you want to spin a sob story. Larry Kudlow speaks the truth; the American economy is the greatest story never told.

quote:
and destroying all international relations - even the Brits hate America now.


Nancy Pelosi, Turkey. 'Nuff said. Inept foreign policy is not limited to one party.


"You can bet that Sony built a long-term business plan about being successful in Japan and that business plan is crumbling." -- Peter Moore, 24 hours before his Microsoft resignation

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