[rauchp]

That's an interesting point. Who knows what could actually be going behind closed doors in China? A lot of what we hear from China comes from second hand sources. If the Chinese are doing big things, their government seems pretty tight lipped on revealing breakthroughs and their progress (unlike the USSR.)

> I wouldn't think USSR was that great at creative thinking, either (on a bigger scale).

True, especially in the later years of the USSR. But they did launch a satellite into space before anyone else. At some point they were creative thinkers, at least.

[dabeeeenster]

The USSR was the first to reach every major milestone in the race to land on the moon, apart from the final one.

[scarejunba]

And they did win the race to space, something we often forget.

We underestimate China to our own peril.