China 'proud' of India's Mars mission

Beijing: China yesterday hailed India's successful Mars mission saying that it was not only a proud achievement for the country and Asia but also a ‘landmark progress' in mankind's exploration of outer space, in a rare acknowledgment of its Asian rival's rising space prowess.

"We have seen the report and congratulate India on the Mars satellite entering the orbit successfully," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told mediapersons.