Xi Charm Offensive Turns to Space as ‘Divine Craft’ Launches

  • Long March rocket launches astronauts to China’s space station
  • China wants to win more global support for its space ambitions
China Launches Shenzhou-16 Space Mission
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China’s Shenzhou 16 mission blasted off from deep in the Gobi Desert, showcasing the space program’s rapid progress at a time when the US is trying to thwart Beijing’s development of sophisticated industries such as semiconductors.

A Long March-2F rocket sending three astronauts to the Chinese space station took off from the military-controlled Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Tuesday morning, state media reported.