Posted: Wed, Oct 15, 2003, 5:02 PM ET (2102 GMT)

Foreign governments and space agencies have in general reacted positively to the news of China's first manned spaceflight. In a statement issued Tuesday night NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe congratulated the Chinese for their accomplishment, adding that NASA "wishes China a continued safe human space flight program." ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain issued a similar congratulatory message and noted that the launch could "open up a new era of wider cooperation in the world’s space community." The ESA press release also noted that the agency and China will soon sign a five-year agreement on space cooperation "for peaceful purposes" in science, technology, and navigation. Not all people were positive about the Shenzhou launch: the Associated Press reported that some people in neighboring countries, including Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, felt threatened by the development, linking the launch to more advanced military capabilities.