And a spokeswoman for the maker of the "Command Watch" said only that the company owner had "good contacts" with officials.
Yang, a military officer, is a hot property, too. His appearances in Shanghai this week were heavily publicized, and an estimated 130,000 people visited a two-day display of the Shenzhou 5 capsule at a science and technology fair.
Visitors were herded past Yang's space suit and the kettle-shaped capsule. They swarmed the souvenir stand, scooping up pins, keychains and models of Shenzhou 5 and the Long March rocket that sent it into space.
"It's natural that there would be commercial tie-ins," said an organizer of the exhibition, who gave only his surname, Gu.
"But," he said, "they're going to have to work hard to protect their trademark."
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