China's Space Station to Serve as Global Research Platform, Says Astronaut Yang Liwei

He highlighted the training of two Pakistani astronaut candidates who have been performing well alongside their Chinese counterparts. Yang confirmed that the Chinese space station is scheduled to welcome its first foreign astronaut later this year, allowing one of the Pakistani astronauts to undertake a short-duration flight mission as a payload specialist.

Discussing China's crewed lunar program, Yang voiced optimism for increased cooperation with other countries and invited participation in the construction of an international lunar scientific research station.

The five-day congress, which concludes this Friday, has attracted a diverse audience of space agency officials, astronauts, scientists, engineers, and industry representatives from across the globe. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the event.

Various presentations focused on technologies and international cooperation were made by the China National Space Administration and Chinese commercial space firms. Jinlin Chen, founder and CEO of the Beijing-based space technology company Final Frontier, noted the rapid development of China's commercial aerospace sector over the past decade, emphasizing milestones like advancements in reusable rocket technology.

Chen expressed interest in collaborating with Turkish companies and indicated that discussions with potential partners had already begun during the congress. The growing involvement of Chinese institutions at the event has garnered attention from Türkiye's space authorities. Yusuf Kirac, head of the Turkish Space Agency, praised the strong relations and ongoing collaboration between Turkey and China.