China should set up a governmental agency as a leading body of the nation's space program, a former chief designer of spacecraft said during the annual session of the country's top political advisory body.

China needs a unified leading organ to plan the country's program of manned space mission, satellites and lunar exploration as a whole, said Qi Faren, chief designer of China's first five Shenzhou spaceships and a National Committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

The annual session of the top advisory body opened in Beijing last Friday.

In another development, Huang Chunping, commander-in-cheif of the launch vehicle system of the country's manned space mission, said China still lags 15 years behind the United States and Russia in space program, but can catch up in 10 years with enough funding from the government.

Huang, also a member of the CPPCC National Committee, said that without consideration of the country's overall economic development, he believes China can narrow the gap in four or five years.

"But our country has too many sectors thirsty for financial input, such as the development of rural areas. We have to wait," Huang said.

China conducted its first manned space mission in 2003, when the Shenzhou-5 spaceship carried one astronaut into space. Last October, Shenzhou-6 with two astronauts on board completed its five-day space journey.

The third manned space mission is scheduled for 2008.