China has scrapped plans to show its first manned space launch live on television.
The decision was prompted by official fears of "political risks" if the flight failed.
Beijing says the flight will lift off from a remote desert base in the north west some time between Wednesday and Friday.
If it succeeds, state-run China Central Television plans to show recorded scenes afterwards.
A live broadcast was cancelled "because the leadership considered the political risks of a failure too great", the South China Morning Post newspaper said, citing unidentified "media sources".
The Lanzhou Morning News, published in Lanzhou, capital of the province where the launch base is located, said unspecified "suggestions of aerospace experts" prompted the decision.
The launch would make China only the third nation to achieve a manned space flight after the US and the former Soviet Union - a propaganda prize for which the government has invested 11 years of planning and untold resources.
The government has shown increased confidence, announcing the launch date after months of silence and splashing photos of the once-secret base across state newspapers. But officials have not said whether the launch would be shown on television or responded to requests for other information.
"There might be a live broadcast, or there might not," said the CCTV spokeswoman. "CCTV employees aren't allowed to answer that question."
China used to broadcast satellite launches live, but stopped in 1995 after a rocket blew up on national television less than two minutes after lift-off, killing six people on the ground.
© Associated Press
Story filed: 07:48 Tuesday 14th October 2003