¡¡¡¡HONG KONG, Oct. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Gao Siren, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong KongSpecial Administrative Region (SAR), extended Thursday congratulations on the successful launch and return of the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft.

¡¡¡¡Gao said that, with the successful launch and return of China 's first manned spacecraft, the thousand-year-long dream of the Chinese nation to fly in the outer space has come true. The great achievement of our country's space technology demonstrates the continuous growth of China's national strength, he said.

¡¡¡¡On behalf of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR, Gao extended his congratulation and respect to the astronauts and the researchers making great contributions to the space exploration.

¡¡¡¡He also said that the success of the first Chinese manned spacecraft has greatly stimulated Hong Kong people's patriotism, as it illustrates once again that "our motherland is the powerful backing of Hong Kong's prosperity and stability." Enditem