Astronaut Yang Liwei emerged from the capsule saying: "I'm feeling good. I'm proud of my motherland," before being whisked away to meet political leaders in the capital Beijing. Chinese officials said the next goals in the country's space programme would be to set up a space laboratory and a space station. Yang Liwei's return fulfils China's bid to become only the third country to send a man into space, after the former Soviet Union and the United States. Prime Minister Wen Jiabao sent his congratulations and hailed the mission "a complete success" after speaking with Yang.

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