Ye Guangfu becomes first Chinese astronaut spending 340 days in space, eying more milestones ahead

Shenzhou-18 crew member Ye Guangfu has become the first Chinese astronaut spending 340 days in orbiting space station on Tuesday, and he is now looking forward to new records in space endurance.

Ye Guangfu, and the other two astronauts Li Cong and Li Guangsu were sent to the space station aboard the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship on April 25. They sent greetings to mark the National Day on Tuesday from the space station.

Ye said that such an achievement not only marks a personal triumph, but also signifies the progress of China's space program as it ventures into an era of expansion in space exploration.

"I'm fortunate enough to witness such a great era, and I believe the record for in-orbit duration will be broken soon. As the representatives of the countless strivers and climbers in China's space endeavors, we remain steadfast in our mission and responsibility for China's manned space missions. As the Chinese space station has now entered the phase of operation and development, I'm confident that more 'footprints' of Chinese astronauts will be left in space in the future," said Ye.

The three crew members are scheduled to return to Earth later this month.

Ye Guangfu becomes first Chinese astronaut spending 340 days in space, eying more milestones ahead

Ye Guangfu becomes first Chinese astronaut spending 340 days in space, eying more milestones ahead

Ye Guangfu becomes first Chinese astronaut spending 340 days in space, eying more milestones ahead

Ye Guangfu becomes first Chinese astronaut spending 340 days in space, eying more milestones ahead

China will release data on foreign trade in goods for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) as a whole, as part of the broader efforts to further advance the area's development.

The move is included in a package of 20 measures recently unveiled by the General Administration of Customs to support the development of the GBA, a world-class city cluster bringing the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions together with nine mainland cities in the economic powerhouse of Guangdong, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai.

Currently, trade data for the region's mainland cities, Hong Kong and Macao, are compiled separately under different statistical systems, making it challenging to derive aggregate figures for the region through direct addition.

Chinese mainland customs authorities will work with counterparts in Hong Kong and Macao to study and compile aggregate data on trade in goods for the GBA and release it in due time, said Lin Shaobin, an official with the General Administration of Customs.

The data will support more accurate analysis of trade trends and structure in the region, while giving the public a more complete picture of its economic performance, Lin noted.

The GBA, one of China's most open and vibrant economic hubs, has shown strong resilience and vitality in foreign trade. In the first four months of this year, the imports and exports of the nine mainland cities in the area climbed 18.4 percent year on year to 3.4 trillion yuan (about 497.3 billion U.S. dollars), contributing around one-quarter of the country's overall foreign trade growth.

China to release foreign trade data for Greater Bay Area