China has established a permanent mission to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). A reception marking the inauguration was held at the Chinese Embassy in Britain on Tuesday evening.
Zheng Zeguang, Chinese ambassador to Britain and China's permanent representative to the IMO, and Li Yang, vice minister of transport and head of the Chinese delegation to the 34th session of the IMO Assembly, co-hosted the reception.
Nearly 300 guests attended the event, including IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Domingues, heads of delegations to the IMO Assembly, diplomats in London, and representatives from various sectors.
In his remarks, Zheng congratulated the opening of the 34th session and expressed appreciation to Domingues, the IMO Secretariat, and other member states for their long-standing support and cooperation with China.
"Maritime transport is an important link between China and the rest of the world," Zheng said. He stressed that China firmly upholds the international system with the United Nations at its core and practices genuine multilateralism, adding that the establishment of the permanent mission demonstrates China's strong support for the IMO as a specialized UN agency.
China, Zheng said, stands ready to deepen exchanges, coordination, and cooperation with the IMO Secretariat and other member states to further contribute to global maritime governance cooperation and the security and resilience of global industrial and supply chains.
Noting that the development of various sectors in China has reached new heights over the past five years, he emphasized that China will continue to advance its modernization through high-quality development, foster new quality productive forces based on local conditions, and pursue high-standard opening up.
For his part, Li said China will earnestly fulfill its obligations under international conventions, shoulder its responsibilities as a major country, and make the best of the permanent mission to expand cooperation with other IMO member states.
China will work to build a modern maritime transport system and contribute more to global economic growth and stable industrial and supply chains, he added.
Congratulating China on establishing the permanent mission, Domingues and other guests also commended the significant achievements in China's maritime sector and its contribution to international maritime cooperation.
China inaugurates permanent mission to IMO
Beijing's "rocket street" project is evolving into a national-level scientific research and production hub, helping to support China's commercial space development.
The project is located in Beijing E-Town, an economic and technological development area in the southeast of the capital city, with a total floor space of 140,000 square meters, roughly the size of 20 football fields. The complex features a common technological platform, a high-end manufacturing center, and an innovation research and development hub as its core facilities.
Previously, it was the more established launch sites and their surrounding "space cities" that featured streets and roads that were totally space themed -- such as Wenchang's Road of Starlight and Jiuquan's Road to Space.
Beijing's "rocket street," which is really a complex dedicated to commercial space development, was only completed earlier this year. At the "rocket street," efforts to advance reusable rocket technology -- featuring cost-effectiveness, repeatability, flexibility, and ultimately global competitiveness -- is receiving major support, and several companies have announced their plans for 2026.
LandSpace has scheduled a recovery test for its Zhuque-3 reusable rocket in the second quarter of this year.
Galactic Energy plans to launch its first reusable liquid-fueled rocket, Pallas 1, in less than three months. It also aims to launch the more powerful, reusable Pallas 2, before the end of the year.
The "Rocket Street" itself also plans to break into new stratospheres in the coming years with reusable rockets.
"We aim to rank among the best in the world. We will promote 'airline-style' launches of large reusable rockets, fully reusable rockets, and fully reusable heavy-lift rockets. We will accelerate the development and mass production of new internet satellites, plan the building of new space infrastructure, and develop full-industrial-chain capabilities to launch 1,000 satellites," said Ma Zhao, Deputy Director of Beijing E-Town's Robotics, Intelligent Manufacturing Industry Bureau.
Galactic Energy is also working on the rocket's final stage -- an on-orbit service platform designed to perform multiple tasks, including cleaning up space by extending its "hands" and removing space debris.
The company believes now is the right moment to carry out these missions, relying on its own technical capabilities and supportive policies.
"In recent years, we have deeply felt the concerted support from policy, capital, and talent. Areas such as Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area have provided targeted support for core technology breakthroughs. Patient capital at both national and local levels has accelerated its convergence," said Wu Yue, Director of Public Relations at Galactic Energy.
China has included the commercial space sector among 109 major projects in the coming years, expecting the industry to become a key driver of new quality productive forces.
"Development opportunities for the commercial space industry are unprecedented, and there is no time to waste. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Beijing E-Town will support the commercial space industry cluster with 1,000 enterprises working together, 1,000 satellites in orbit, and over 100 billion yuan in revenue," said Ma.
Opened to private investment in 2015, the sector now comprises over 600 commercial space companies, with annual financing reaching more than 18 billion yuan (about 2.62 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025.
China's 15th Five-Year Plan, which outlines national economic and social development goals for the next five years, sets a goal of building the country into a "space power" by 2030, as well as identifies the aerospace industry as "an emerging pillar." Against this backdrop, commercial space launches are taking on growing importance.
Beijing's "rocket street" project advances commercial space development
