China's premier Wen Jiabao has said the country would launch its first manned space flight "very soon".

Mr Wen told reporters that no date had been decided for the launch of the Shenzhou V spacecraft.

But there is mounting speculation in the Hong Kong media that the launch could take place immediately after an important meeting of the ruling Communist Party.

A plenary meeting of the Communist Party Central Committee is due to close on 14 October, and one Hong Kong press report said the launch would go ahead on 15 October.

A leading space expert, Chen Lan, said on Monday that the launch could not take place before 14 October because the leadership would be in Beijing.

"I believe some of them, like [former president and military chief] Jiang Zemin, will want to be at the launch site to witness the launch," he said.

Mr Chen, curator of the Go Taikonauts! website, said the Shenzhou V would orbit the Earth at least 10 times in a flight lasting less than 24 hours.

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