Third nation in space - China!

[Boris]

China Wednesday became the third country in the world to launch a manned spacecraft into orbit, China's state-run television network said. The launch, the first of its kind for the Chinese space program, sent Yang Lewei, a fighter pilot, on a 21-hour trip that will circle the planet 14 times.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/10/14/china.launch/index.html