At the ongoing Airshow China in Zhuhai City, a commercial space company announced plans to launch passengers into suborbital space by 2027, while industry leaders gathered to discuss building a safer and more orderly future for commercial space travel.
From small cargo spacecraft to reusable rockets, this year's Airshow China offers a glimpse into the dynamic landscape of China's commercial space sector. Among the many exciting advances, space travel has captured public attention.
"We could make what was once unattainable, or to say, relatively expensive suborbital tourism more affordable by reusing technology, as a way to reduce costs significantly. This will enable us to launch suborbital tourism services by 2027," said Zheng Ze, vice president of Deep Blue Aerospace.
At the Zhuhai Forum, held on Monday and Tuesday during Airshow China and organized by the China National Space Administration, industry leaders outlined a new framework and introduced the Zhuhai Initiative to foster a safer and more orderly ecosystem for commercial space development.
"The National Space Administration places great importance on the development of commercial space endeavors. At this commercial space forum, we invited representatives from the government, universities, academia, and domestic and international guests to jointly discuss the development of commercial space. Many commercial space enterprises participating in the forum jointly initiated and signed the Zhuhai Initiative for the development of commercial space," said Zhang Tao, director of the news and publicity Center of China National Space Administration.
In the next phase, more private companies will be encouraged to export satellites, provide data services, and offer commercial launch solutions to international clients. Chinese commercial space companies are also expected to engage in global public welfare services, according to Zhang.
The 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as Airshow China, is the largest air show in the country. Held from Nov 12 to 17 in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, the event showcases an impressive lineup of cutting-edge military hardware while offering a glimpse into the latest achievements in the modernization of the Chinese military.
Chinese commercial space company aims to launch space travel in 2027
Foreign diplomats and scholars are looking closely at this year's "two sessions", saying China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will not only chart the nation's economic and technological priorities but also reshape global value chains.
The fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation's top political advisory body, opened on Wednesday, followed by the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday. Together known as the "two sessions," these meetings offer a comprehensive view into China's development priorities.
Global observers emphasized that the 15th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint guiding the nation's economic, social, and technological priorities over the next five years, marks a decisive shift toward high‑quality growth anchored in advanced technologies, with ripple effects across the world.
"The two sessions will discuss China's five-year plan, which is heavily oriented toward China's major technological development. I believe this is important because it represents the new blueprint for China's economy, which is now oriented toward the renowned high-quality development, and this will undoubtedly impact the entire world. I think it is worth studying. This is very important for Latin America. It will help us integrate more intelligently into global value chains and into all aspects of the major development that China is promoting in iconic industrial sectors, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space development, where Latin America also has much to contribute beyond just commercial growth," said Gustavo Sabino Vaca Narvaja, former Argentine Ambassador to China.
"The two sessions are a major political milestone in China, and this year's gathering carries even greater significance as this year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan. This plan represents not only a blueprint for China, but also a guide for other countries. Instruments like the five-year plan effectively provide greater certainty and predictability for the rest of the world," said Chilean scholar of international relations Ignacio Araya Heredia.
"This is a particularly important date, especially due to the fact that the next Five-Year Plan shall be positioned and we're going to see what its main elements shall be. Serbia, which has a very high degree of steel friendship with the People's Republic of China, can expect further assistance in identifying the most prominent areas of Serbian economy and being helped by its great partner, such as it has been done in the previous period, from one part with establishing the main infrastructure projects, but also reshaping the industrial sector of Serbia, not just Serbia, but the region as a whole," said Veljko Mijuskovic, assistant professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Belgrade.
Beyond the policy framework, experts also pointed to China's achievements in green energy and technological innovation as models worth emulating.
Tomasz Bielinski, adjunct professor at the University of Gdansk's Faculty of Economics, said the robotics displays at the 2026 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala reflected China's broader push in technological innovation.
"I was really impressed about the robotics. I'm very impressed with Chinese development in the technological field, we can still make great deals with Chinese businessmen and we can cooperate together to use this technology for both the good of China and the European Union. I'm aware of the innovation especially in autonomous drive on the on the Chinese side," he said.
"We hope for more of China's economic cooperation, especially in trade and also in investment. Also, and the other focus, if I talk about the focus of the development, don't forget about the green energy. We know that China is great in the electric vehicle field. So because China's electric vehicles in Indonesia nowadays, since couple of years ago, are very, very popular," said Al Busyra Basnur, president of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association.
Observers see China's new five-year plan driving high-quality development, global tech shifts
