BEIJING:China's maiden lunar probe successfully entered the moon's orbit this month, a major step in the country's lunar ambitions and a similarly giant step in China's bid to become a more innovative place.

When Chang'e I blasted off on October 24th, it signalled China's rising space ambitions and Beijing's participation in a renewed race to explore the moon with rivals Japan and India, but also its efforts to become better at coming up with its own ideas.

Visiting US Defence Secretary Robert Gates hailed the launch as "a credit to Chinese industry and innovation", words which will come as music to the ears of the Chinese government.

Beijing is keen to put rampant economic growth on a sounder footing and this means becoming more innovative and moving away from the low-tech industrial activity that has driven double-digit expansion for the past years.

The space programme is a key symbol of this. The lunar probe is the first stage of China's lunar programme which includes landing an unmanned rover on the surface by 2012.

Earlier this month, Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan inaugurated a new group, the China Association for the Promotion of Collaboration between Production, Learning and Research, which will serve as a conduit between governments and companies, schools and R&D institutions, and "contribute to the country's economic transfer from quantity to quality".

Meanwhile, Intel said on its website that it has set up an innovation support center in Hangzhou.