BEIJING, April 23: Two Pakistani candidates have been selected as the first foreign astronauts for China's space mission training, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Wednesday afternoon, calling it a landmark achievement in international cooperation on the Chinese space station.
The agency said in a statement that Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud will come to China soon as reserve astronauts for training. After completing all training and evaluations, one of them will participate in a space mission as a payload specialist, becoming the first foreign astronaut onboard the Tiangong space station.
In February 2025, China and Pakistan signed a cooperation agreement on the spaceflight of a Pakistani astronaut to the Chinese space station in Islamabad, officially launching the selection process for Pakistani astronauts. After three rounds of rigorous screening, two Pakistani reserve astronauts were ultimately chosen.
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According to the agency, this selection and training of astronauts for Pakistan is also a milestone in China's space program and another successful example of the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership in the space sector.
It fully demonstrates China's open attitude and willingness to share its space development achievements with the international community, the agency said.
The peaceful use of outer space for the benefit of all humanity has always been the original aspiration and mission of China's space program development, the agency said.
China's manned space program will always open its doors wide, welcoming countries around the world to participate in cooperation in areas such as scientific experiments, technological tests, and astronaut selection and training aboard the Chinese space station, jointly expanding the understanding of the universe, and contributing wisdom and strength to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, the agency added.
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