Well done to the Chinese for advancing so rapidly, the speed at which they do things is amazing.
As for the comments about space exploration.
Even the US is now taking a back seat in space, its really the Russians who are running the show now with China rapidly advancing and the Indians also making progress. Since the end of the space shuttle and all the financial problems it makes me wonder what future there is for American space exploration, maybe a limited future but taking a back seat to other nations. I never thought it would be the case but it is. Maybe the withdrawl from space exploration is the start of the big decline in other areas to (I hope not).
Unless the first manned mission to Mars is an international type of thing I could see China getting there first, maybe also the first back to the moon. They have the money and time is on their side. By working more closely with the Russians they can gain more and more experience, Chinese money and enterprise combined with Russian space experience/knowledge sound like a match made in heaven!