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Shi Jiangtao

Hu wishes three astronauts 'complete success in this glorious and sacred mission'
China has successfully rocketed three astronauts into space on a mission to attempt the nation's first spacewalk.
The spacecraft Shenzhou VII, mounted on a Long March II-F rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch centre in Gansu province  at 9.10pm. The spacecraft successfully unfolded its solar panel at 9.23pm and entered its preset orbit seven minutes later.
There was jubilation at the launch centre when Chang Wanquan , commander in chief of the manned space flight programme, declared the launch a success.
Onboard China's third manned spaceflight, pilots Zhai Zhigang , Liu Boming  and Jing Haipeng  are expected to orbit Earth for more than 60 hours.
After a day of rest and preparation today,  one of the three-man crew will float out of the cabin into space about 343km above Earth  tomorrow, making  China the third country in the world  to conduct a spacewalk,  after the former Soviet Union and the United States.
President Hu Jintao , who watched the historic moment at the launch centre, hailed the mission as marking a big leap in the country's space technology.
'The successful launch marked the first victory of the Shenzhou VII mission,' Mr Hu said. 'I'd like to extend warm congratulations to all [space centre] staff and army forces participating in the mission.'
The astronauts reported back to the control centre that they felt 'physically sound' in the first few minutes of the flight.
Once in orbit, television footage showed the astronauts inside the spacecraft reading manuals.
Mr Hu called the mission 'the most important moment' of the country's stride towards technological excellence this year. He briefly met the astronauts before they entered the spacecraft, wishing them 'complete success in this glorious and sacred mission'.
'During the mission, you will carry out China's [spacewalk] with a homemade spacesuit, which is a great leap for China's space technology,' Mr Hu said.
The smooth blastoff marked a good start for the mission, he said.
Despite a thickening haze over the Jiuquan space centre adding uncertainty to the launch, the countdown went on without a hitch.
In Hong Kong, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen last night congratulated those involved in the successful launch of Shenzhou VII on behalf of the Hong Kong people.
Apart from the much anticipated spacewalk, other tasks planned for the Shenzhou VII crew include releasing a small monitoring satellite and testing the data relay capabilities of the satellite Tianlian-I.
The astronauts, all aged 42, are scheduled to land in Inner Mongolia on Sunday. But it is possible their return could be postponed, experts said.
Space mission researcher Liu Guoning said the timing of the spacewalk would decide when the astronauts returned to Earth.
'If the spacewalk can be done on Saturday, they will return on Sunday. But if they don't feel ready and carry out the spacewalk on Sunday, they will return the next day,' he said.



First spacewalk mission blasts off