With the blessing of the U.S. State Department, China was asked to join 30 other nations in the three-day NASA-sponsored session, the Houston Chronicle said Friday.

It was seen as a small but highly visible breakthrough in relations with a potential to improve global security as well as advance space exploration, participants and outside experts said. More talks are planned for early next year.

In October 2003, the Chinese joined the United States and Russia as the only nations that have placed humans in space.

In spite of its growing economic might and emerging civil and military space programs, China has been excluded from the U.S.-led partnership in the International Space Station.

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