Besides having a "need" for this stuff to really be a first-rate world power, space seems to have been the path to prestige ever since nukes became common.

Anyone know how much Russian technology is in Chinese rockets, satellites? Or is China inventing home-grown wheel?

I somehow think that China, with it's tight political control and relative lack of corruption, would be a natural partner to Russia, with it's technical abilities. Between the two of them there isn't much they couldn't do.

I'd like to see 'em go to Mars, it's the Red Planet, after all, maybe goose the US into doing something. Or, have the US sell them it's share in the ISS, give 'em a shuttle or two (I can dream), and go to Mars itself.

Arf