Shenzhou-20 astronauts enter Tiangong space station, meet Shenzhou-19 crew

The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-20 spaceflight mission on Friday entered the Tiangong space station and met with the Shenzhou-19 mission crew on board, starting a new round of in-orbit crew handover.

Mission commander Chen Dong and crew members Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie successfully entered the station's core module Tianhe after the spaceship made a fast automated rendezvous and docked with the Tianhe module at 23:49 Thursday (Beijing Time).

At 01:17 Friday (Beijing Time), the Shenzhou-19 crew opened the hatch and greeted the new arrivals, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The two crew teams took group photos and sent messages to the ground staff.

The six astronauts will live and work together for about five days to complete planned tasks and handover work, according to the CMSA.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off at 17:17 (Beijing Time) Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, according to the CMSA.

Shenzhou-20 astronauts enter Tiangong space station, meet Shenzhou-19 crew

Shenzhou-20 astronauts enter Tiangong space station, meet Shenzhou-19 crew

Shenzhou-20 astronauts enter Tiangong space station, meet Shenzhou-19 crew

Shenzhou-20 astronauts enter Tiangong space station, meet Shenzhou-19 crew

A delegation of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, led by its chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, arrived in Shanghai at noon on Tuesday for a mainland visit that will run through Sunday.

The delegation is scheduled to visit Jiangsu Province, Shanghai and Beijing, marking the first time in a decade that a KMT chairperson has led a delegation to the Chinese mainland.

The visit is regarded as an important part of the exchanges and dialogue between the KMT and the Communist Party of China under the new circumstances.

Strengthening exchanges and dialogue between the two parties, according to a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, will have a significant and positive impact on maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and promoting the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

Cheng arrives in Shanghai, kicking off KMT delegation's mainland visit