The China Daily reports:

Rocket man charged with taking bribes

A former senior official with the nation's major space rocket institution is to face charges for taking bribes.

Li Jianzhong, the former president of the Chinese Academy of Carrier Rocket Technology, has been investigated by the judicial departments, the China Times quoted an anonymous source from the academy as saying yesterday.

Li, 68, who was also chairman of the Long March Launch Vehicle Technology Co Ltd, is alleged to be linked with a corruption case involving more than 2 million yuan (US$240,000), a vice-president of the academy told the Beijing-based newspaper.

The academy was responsible for research involving the Shenzhou V spacecraft that sent China's first astronaut, Yang Liwei, into space in 2003. Preparations are currently being made for the launch of the Shenzhou VI spacecraft.

The article does not say what Li did in exchange foe the bribes, but claims that:

Taking bribes was Li's personal behaviour and had no bearing on funds for scientific research and did not affect the quality of the Shenzhou V spacecraft, the vice-president said.

Can we take that to mean the he did NOT take a bribe to purchase widgets for use in the Shenzhou rocket from Gaungming Dodgy Widget Company? So what did he take a bribe for? Getting his buddy's children in the astonaut program? Granting sponsorship rights to Mengniu Milk Company? Giving someone a job?

This seems to be another case of journalism that is intended to obscure the facts rather than shine light on them.

UPDATE: Lookee here, on the same day the above China Daily report is published, Xinhua publishes this:

China back to commercial launch market
China re-entered space yesterday evening, sending a communication satellite into orbit atop a Long March 3B rocket from a launch pad in Xichang in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

A spokesman for the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology said the flight, which blasted off at 8 pm, is the 84th successful flight of China's Long-March rocket since its maiden voyage in 1970, and the 42nd consecutive successful flight since October 1996.

The successful launch of the communication satellite, AsiaSat-6 which will be used by Hong Kong-based company Apstar Satellite Limited, represents the return of Chinese rockets to the international commercial launch market after an absence of seven years, said a spokesman.

LINKS:
China Daily: Rocket man charged with taking bribes
Xinhua: China back to commercial launch market

UPDATE: More from Xinhua on this case; they are still insisting that the bribery did not affect the quality of the rockets.