posted 02-28-2025 08:22 AM               

China and Pakistan Sign Cooperation Agreement on Selection and Training of Astronauts, China's Space Station will welcome the first foreign astronaut visit

On Feb. 28, 2025, the China Manned Space Engineering Office and the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission officially signed the Cooperation Agreement on the Selection, Training of Pakistani Astronauts and Participating in Chinese Space Station Missions in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, opening a new chapter in deepening cooperation between China and Pakistan in the field of manned spaceflight and taking the first step in selecting and training foreign astronauts to participate in the Chinese space station mission.

At 13:45 Beijing time on the same day, the signing ceremony was held at the Prime Minister's Office in Pakistan, and under the witness of Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, signed an agreement with Mohammad Yusuf Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Committee. The signing of the agreement marks the first time that the Chinese government will train astronauts for foreign countries, and the Chinese space station will welcome the first foreign astronaut visit.

According to the plan, the two sides will use about a year to complete the selection work, and the Pakistani astronauts will receive a full range of systematic training in China. According to the mission planning arrangements of the Chinese space station, Pakistani astronauts will be arranged to enter the Chinese space station with Chinese astronauts for short-term missions in the next few years.

Since the implementation of China's manned space engineering project, it has always adhered to the principle of "peaceful utilization, equality, mutual benefit and common development", focused on sharing China's development achievements for all mankind, actively opened up opportunities for cooperation in China's space station, and actively contributed to building a community with a shared future for mankind. The signing of this cooperation agreement provides an example for more developing countries to participate in international cooperation in manned spaceflight, and is conducive to inspiring more countries to join hands to explore the mysteries of the universe and jointly write a new chapter on the road of benefiting all mankind.