Two Pakistani astronauts selected to train for China's space station missions

Two Pakistani candidates have been selected to become the first foreign astronauts to train for China's future space station missions, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has announced, with one of them likely to become the first Pakistani to enter orbit.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the agency confirmed that candidates Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud have successfully passed several rounds of selection procedures and will soon come to China to participate in the spaceflight training process as reserve astronauts.

The CMSA said that after completing various training programs and passing rigorous assessments, one of the Pakistani candidates will participate in a future spaceflight mission as a payload specialist, becoming the first foreign astronaut to enter the Chinese space station.

The China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) and the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) signed a cooperation agreement on the spaceflight of Pakistani astronaut to the Chinese space station in February 2025.

Under the agreement, the Chinese government will select and train a group of Pakistani astronauts, and one of them will be the first foreign astronaut to enter the Chinese space station.

In the presence of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the agreement was signed by Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSEO and Muhammad Yousuf Khan, chairman of the SUPARCO at the Prime Minister's House.

The official selection of the astronauts from Pakistan marks a milestone in the history of China's space program and a landmark achievement in the international cooperation on the Chinese space station.

The CMSA also said it is a successful example of the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership taking shape in the space sector, which also fully demonstrates the Chinese government's open attitude toward sharing the fruits of space development with the international community.

The peaceful use of outer space for the benefit of all humanity has always been China's core mission and the purpose behind the vigorous development of the country's space endeavors, the CMSA said.

China's manned space program will always keep its doors open, welcoming countries around the world to actively participate in cooperation in fields such as scientific experiments, technical tests, and astronaut selection and training in the China Space Station in order to expand human understanding of the universe and contribute wisdom and strength to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, the CMSA statement added.

Two Pakistani astronauts selected to train for China's space station missions

The one-China principle is where the arc of history bends and public opinion trends, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday, in commenting on Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's planned visit to Eswatini, which had to be canceled after relevant African countries revoked the necessary flight permissions.

"All African countries, with the sole exception of Eswatini, have established diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China. These 53 countries together with the African Union have adopted the Beijing Declaration at the 2024 FOCAC Summit. They have reiterated on many occasions that they firmly uphold the one-China principle, that there is but one China in the world, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, that the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and that they firmly support all efforts by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification," said Guo Jiakun, the spokesman, at a press conference in Beijing.

"China highly commends the relevant countries' commitment to the one-China principle which is fully consistent with international law and basic norms governing international relations," he said.

"It's very clear that there's no longer a so-called 'Republic of China president' in the world anymore. Anyone who wears that false title is acting against history and will only invite disgrace upon themselves. The one-China principle is where the arc of history bends and public opinion trends, and to uphold it is a right thing to do. No one can ever stop the eventual reunification of China. The separatist attempts aimed at Taiwan secession are just futile and are doomed to fail," said the spokesman.

One-China principle is where arc of history bends, public opinion trends: spokesman