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China in 2003
became the third country to put a man in space with its own
rocket after the former Soviet Union and the United States.
It has touted its plans for moon exploration and in late 2013
completed the first lunar "soft landing" since 1976 with the
Chang'e-3 craft and its Jade Rabbit rover.
The country also plans to land the first probe ever on the dark
side of the moon in 2018, another milestone.
Yang Liwei, deputy director general of China Manned Space Agency
and China's first man in space, said it will "not take long" for
the manned mission to the moon to get official approval and
funding, state news agency Xinhua said late on Tuesday.
The report gave no other details, but such a trip could still be
many years off.
A government official said last year that China wants to put
astronauts on the moon by 2036, in what state media said was the
country's first confirmation of a manned lunar exploration
program.
Advancing China's space program is a priority for Beijing, with
President Xi Jinping calling for the country to establish itself
as a space power.
China insists its program is for peaceful purposes, but the U.S.
Defense Department has highlighted China's increasing space
capabilities, saying it is pursuing activities aimed to prevent
adversaries from using space-based assets in a crisis.
Apart from its civilian ambitions, Beijing has tested
anti-satellite missiles, and the U.S. Congress has banned NASA
from engaging in cooperation with its Chinese counterpart due to
security concerns.
China's space budget is still only about one-tenth of the United
States' outlays, officials have said. According to Chinese state
media, China spends about $2 billion a year on its space
program, though details are vague.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Michael Perry)
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