(ECNS) -- China stands ready to work with the Pakistani side to carry forward our traditional friendship, deepen cooperation in space and other fields, and bring bilateral relations to new heights, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.
Spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a press conference when asked to comment following a weekend announcement that a Pakistani astronaut will join China's Shenzhou-24 crewed flight mission as a payload specialist and complete a short on-orbit flight before returning to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft.
Guo noted that exploration of the vast universe and peaceful use of outer space are humanity's shared pursuit and bear on the welfare of all peoples.
China advocates the peaceful use of outer space, engages in active international space cooperation, and promotes the building of a community with a shared future in the domain of outer space, the spokesperson said.
He added that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. Having the Pakistani astronaut on board China's spaceships will mark the first ever joint mission of Chinese and foreign astronauts in the history of China's manned space program.
The Pakistani astronaut will be the first foreign astronaut to step into China's space station, he said. "This is yet another key outcome of bilateral cooperation as we mark the 75th anniversary of China-Pakistan diplomatic ties," Guo added.
(By Zhang Dongfang)
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