29 June 2012 Last updated at 00:39 ET

China morning round-up: Shenzhou-9 returns to Earth

The Shenzhou-9 mission has received blanket coverage over the past two weeks

Many newspapers trail the return of China's Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft, which landed in Inner Mongolia soon after 10:00 local time (02:00GMT).

The three astronauts - Jingo Haipeng, Liu Wang and Liu Yang - are described by China Daily as "heroes", while the Beijing Times sets out the final undocking process from the Tiangong-1 space lab.

Papers like Beijing News and Shanghai Morning Post pay more attention to the re-entry process, and also look at what the astronauts will eat for their first meal back on Earth.

The front-page commentary of People's Daily Overseas Edition says China's space achievements will inevitably attract "jealousy, envy and hatred" from the rest of the world, but Chinese people should gain confidence from this success.

At a regular Ministry of Defence press briefing, spokesman Geng Yansheng said China's space programme was for peaceful purposes, says Beijing News.

But most papers focus on Mr Geng's comments that the military had already begun "combat-ready patrols" in the South China Sea.

"In order to protect national sovereignty and our security and development interests, the Chinese military has already set up a normal, combat-ready patrol system in seas under our control," said Mr Geng, quoted by Shanghai Daily and Shanghai Morning Post.

Hong Kong's pro-Beijing Wen Wei Po and China Daily also report the ministry is studying the feasibility of setting up a local military command in Sansha City, which was created a week ago to govern the disputed Paracel and Spratly archipelagos, and the Macclesfield Bank in the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, People's Daily reports academics at a panel discussion hosted by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington warned of any "foreign intervention" in the South China Sea dispute.

China indexes of Hong Kong newspapers continue to cover the Shaxi clashes in neighbouring Guangdong province.

Ming Pao Daily News and Sing Tao Daily say the municipal authority in Zhongshan issued an ultimatum demanding rioters turn themselves in. It also said that the situation in Shaxi and nearby townships was under control.

But the top story in Hong Kong remains the announcement of the new cabinet line-up for incoming Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.

Hong Kong Standard reports 14 of the 20 principal officials come from the cabinet of the outgoing Donald Tsang. Its sister Sing Tao Daily says the new Chief Secretary Carrie Lam has made clear that she has no intention of running for Mr Leung's job in the future.

Ming Pao Daily News reports many huge plastic water buffers are in place around venues for Sunday's celebrations marking the 15th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover, in an apparent attempt to keep protesters back from visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao.