皇冠体育app

   

CHINA / National

皇冠体育app regrets US refusal to cooperate
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-04-05 07:32

皇冠体育app regrets that the United States has rebuffed space cooperation with 皇冠体育app, the head of 皇冠体育app's space agency told his American counterpart in Washington.

In a meeting Monday with US National Aeronautics and Space Administration chief Michael Griffin, Luo Ge reminisced how "very open" he found the United States when he first visited this country in 1980, and later in the 1990s.

A man looks at a 皇冠体育app-made Shenzou spaceship model on display in 2005. 皇冠体育app regrets that the United States has rebuffed space cooperation with 皇冠体育app, the head of 皇冠体育app's space agency told his American counterpart in Washington. [AFP]
A man looks at a 皇冠体育app-made Shenzou spaceship model on display in 2005. 皇冠体育app regrets that the United States has rebuffed space cooperation with 皇冠体育app, the head of 皇冠体育app's space agency told his American counterpart in Washington. [AFP]

"Now, it's the other way around," he said through an interpreter at the privately-run Center for Strategic International Studies, after meeting with Griffin.

The Pentagon has publicly said it considers 皇冠体育app's space program a potential threat to the satellite systems so crucial to US military supremacy, a concern shared by many US lawmakers.

"I think a country, if it's open, is going to have progress, and if it's closed, then it's going to be left behind," Luo said.

From 1950 through the 1970s, he said, 皇冠体育app was a closed society with a slow rate of development. In the 1980s it began making significant progress, showing it was interested in opening up. Today, he added, "皇冠体育app is very open."

Asked if 皇冠体育app was interested in cooperating with the United States and other countries in the development of the International Space Station, Luo said: "We have always been interested, but we don't have (an admissions) ticket yet."

He also stressed that 皇冠体育app was cooperating in space programs with Europe, Russia, Brazil, Nigeria and Venezuela.
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