By Keiichi Inai
On October 17, 2005, China's second manned spacecraft, Shenzhou 6, returned safely to Earth after 115 hours and 32 minutes in orbit. China became the third super power in manned space flight following the United States and Russia. The success of Shenzhou 6 proves that China is technologically advanced and the Chinese economy has been developing rapidly with the help of technological advances, an educated workforce and a maturing currency.
Shenzhou 5, the first successful manned spacecraft launched in October 2003, held one astronaut and returned after one day in orbit, but Shenzhou 6 was for two astronauts and returned after five days in orbit. Tang Xianming, the director of the China Space Engineering Office, said, "Our astronauts will be able to carry out extravehicular activities by 2007 and we will accomplish the docking of flight vehicles in orbit." The space development of China is remarkable and China shows the desire to develop their space technology more. However, the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese government, and The Central Military Commission sent the all people involved in the successful flight a congratulatory telegram that praised "the reinforcement of the national defense capabilities of China." From the tone of the telegram it seems the science technology for space might be converted to military purposes. It is hoped that China will take a posture of international cooperation in future space development projects.
Along with its space development, China is steadily increasing its economic power. According to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of China in 2005 was about ＄1.65 trillion, which was about 2.6 times more than ten years ago. The economic growth rate of China in 2004 was 9.5 percent, which was 5 times larger than Japan's rate of 1.9 percent. Moreover, the People's Bank of China, which is the central bank in China, announced that the exchange rate of the yuan would be increased by about 2 percent to the US dollar on July 21. The movement of the yuan shifted from a fixed exchange rate to a managed floating exchange rate that evaluates the yuan rate based on the supply-demand situation of the market. As a result, it shows that the economical ability of China in global trade has strengthened.
China has recorded high economic growth in its high-tech industry, including the Internet industry. In addition, China has many highly trained managers and engineers who are working actively throughout the world. Japanese think of China as a country of cheap labor, but it is an outdated image. If the expertise and knowledge of Chinese nationals who live outside of China were to be used in China, it would advance even further economically.
China produces goods at low cost and the demand for Chinese goods has increased, helping them to develop a global economy. In addition, China is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and the Beijing Olympics to be held in 2008 will enhance their global image. The economic situation of China in recent years is reminiscent of the bubble economy era of Japan. If the Chinese economy keeps growing and the peopleﾕs standard of living improves, the economic situation of China will surpass Japan and become the center of the Asian economy. However, the disparity in wealth has increased and posses a risk to the success of the country. Some managers make big profits, but many people's lives haven't improved much and they are upset at the disparity in income. However, there is an impression that the government tries to hold the people in check by "a great-power policy" which tries to control them through nationalistic pride. This policy causes anxiety in that China's neighbors. It is hoped that a few powerful leaders never lead the country to use its growing economic power to influence their diplomatic relations. We must keep an eye on Chinaﾕs development.