China vows to become the first country to soft land a probe on the moon by 2018 and launch its first Mars mission by 2020

China's first moon rover touching the lunar surface on Sunday, December 15, 2013

China has vowed to speed up its space development as it set out plans to become the first country to soft land a probe on the far side of the moon as early as 2018. The Chinese government has also indicated today its desire to launch its first Mars probe by 2020.
'To explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build China into a space power is a dream we pursue unremittingly,' a memo read setting out the country's space strategy for the next five years.
Officials said China aims to use space for peaceful purposes and to guarantee national security, and to carry out cutting-edge scientific research. The white paper, released by the information office of China's Cabinet, points to the growing ambitions of China's already rapidly advancing space programme. 
China places great emphasis on the development of its space industry, seen as a symbol of national prestige that will raise the country's standing in the world. Although the white paper doesn't mention it, China's eventual goal is to land an astronaut on the moon. While Russia and the United States have more experience in manned space travel, China's military-backed programme has made steady progress in a comparatively short time.
A fully functioning, permanently crewed space station is on course to begin operations six years from now and is slated to run for at least a decade. The memo reiterated China's plans to launch its first Mars probe by 2020, saying it would explore and bring back samples from the red planet, explore the Jupiter system and 'conduct research into major scientific questions such as the origin and evolution of the solar system, and search for extraterrestrial life'. The paper says the Chang'e-4 lunar probe will help shed light on the formation and evolution of the moon.
He Qisong, a space security expert at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law says: 'China never talks big and says something it's unable to achieve'