The Chang'e-3 lunar probe successfully landed at a pre-designated location on the lunar surface on December 14, 2013, making China the third country to soft-land on an extraterrestrial body after the Soviet Union and the United States. The landing mission was fully accomplished the following day, when Chang'e-3 and its accompanying rover, Yutu, took photos of one another, showing the latter brandishing the five-starred red Chinese flag. International commentators said this success illustrated China's progress in developing the technology necessary for space exploration as well as the nation's determination and resolve to explore it despite difficulties.

A milestone

Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that Chang'e-3's successful landing marked a "major step for Beijing's ambitious space program." A senior Pakistani media professional identified as Javaid commented that the landing showed China's admirable achievements and its courage to engage in space exploration despite any difficulties. The success, which provides important proof that China is on its way to become a major space power, will further boost the country's international influence.

British newspaper The Daily Telegraph said that the soft-landing was a significant step toward China's ultimate goal of placing a Chinese astronaut on the moon. The mission, an important milestone in China's space program, displayed China's space research capabilities and technological prowess to the world. Financial Times, another British newspaper, said China has made rapid progress in its space program and the successful landing showed that it has become one of the few countries that are able to master the sophisticated technology needed.

Chang'e-3's landing was a new success for China's space program, said Ivan Manez, a Spanish expert on Chinese studies and President of Global Asia Magazine. It once again demonstrated China's comprehensive national power, especially its great progress in science and technology, to the international community, he added.

German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported the landing as reinforcing China's status as a major space power whose space technology has become closer to being on a par with that of the United States. Moreover, moon exploration has further bolstered Chinese national pride.

The website of Vietnamese newspaper Nhan Dan and the Viet Nam News Agency also published reports on Chang'e-3's landing. The Voice of Viet Nam, a radio broadcaster, said the event signaled an important step forward for China's space exploration program.

Benefits to humanity

A Polish columnist and political commentator said Chang'e-3's landing was a sign that China had joined the ranks of countries capable of exploring deep space. China's space program has not only deepened human knowledge about the moon, but it will also open a new chapter in global cooperation over space exploration and technology, he added.

Chang'e-3's successful lunar mission constituted a solid step toward the renewal of the Chinese nation and another milestone in human beings' persistent efforts to explore outer space, an engineer with the Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd. identified as Francis said. At a time when African countries' space programs remain in a fledgling stage, Chang'e-3's landing will bolster their confidence in hi-tech cooperation with China, the engineer said. As a result, it will help strengthen the China-Africa strategic partnership and speed up across-the-board cooperation between both sides.

The success was evidence that China has become one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, with some of its technologies comparable to those of the United States, said Ha Jong Dae, head of South Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo's International Department. The Chang'e-3 mission will provide more extensive and detailed research data for future lunar exploration that can benefit all of humanity, he added.

A former Kazak vice defense minister said China's breakthroughs in space exploration in recent years are self-evident. The former official added that he hoped China will continue to make strides and contribute more to mankind's efforts to understand the universe.

A researcher with the Russian Academy of Military Sciences said Chang'e-3's moon landing was the first major feat since the Soviet Union landed its last lunar probe on the moon in 1976, and that it is bound to inject impetus into China's space exploration program.

Dean Cheng, a senior research fellow with the U.S.-based Heritage Foundation, said China must contribute to the world intellectually before it can become a global power. He believes that since human beings have yet to finish exploring the mood, China can make contributions toward this. Joan Johnson-Freese, a professor with the U.S. Naval War College, believes Chang'e-3's landing was a major step forward for mankind's lunar exploration, a move that will also pave the way for China to send an astronaut to the moon.

U.S. technology website Asteroid Initiative commented that the Chang'e-3 mission provided another case study for landing on an extraterrestrial body. More importantly, data collected by the spacecraft will be made public, thus contributing to countries' joint efforts to develop the moon's resources.

Cutting-edge technology

The whole Chang'e-3 mission, from its launching to its landing, was perfect, evidence that the Chinese have a good command of space technology, said Bernard Foing, a scientist at the European Space Agency and Executive Director of the International Lunar Exploration Working Group.

French newspaper Le Monde reported that the mission's success shows China has made major headway in its grand space program with its new mastery of cutting-edge technology.

Sky News Australia, News.com.au and local Australian newspapers also covered Chang'e-3's landing. Most of their reports deemed it as an important step that China took to pursue its ambitious space program. They also commented that it was indicative of the emerging power's rising international status and progress in space technology.

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that the lunar mission was tantamount to a "great leap forward" in science and technology for China. It pointed out that the mission showed China has developed sophisticated electronic remote control technology. Another Italian newspaper, Il Sole 24 Ore, reported that Chang'e-3 can serve as a springboard from which China will launch its manned lunar exploration program. This is because many important new technologies, 80 percent of which were developed domestically by China, can be tested during the mission.

British newspaper The Sunday Times said the landing was one giant leap for China. Notably, the rocket that carried Chang'e-3 was also independently developed and built by China.

British newspaper The Guardian said with the soft-landing of Chang'e-3, China has realized a massive technological leap forward. The Observer, The Guardian's weekend edition, said in an editorial that the landing was a technological triumph, which showcased China's flourishing technological power.

While covering Chang'e-3's landing, Brazilian news website Globo.com said China made another step forward in its space exploration and its space research capabilities and technological abilities are allowing it to scale new heights.