Send-off ceremony held for Shenzhou-23 astronauts before launch

A send-off ceremony for three Chinese astronauts of the Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceflight mission was held on Sunday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship is scheduled to blast off at 23:08 Beijing Time Sunday (15:08 GMT) from the launch site to dock with China's Tiangong space station.

The three Chinese astronauts, commander Zhu Yangzhu, spacecraft pilot Zhang Zhiyuan and payload specialist Lai Ka-ying, reported to the commander-in-chief of China's manned space program that they were ready to undertake their mission.

After receiving an order from the commander-in-chief, the astronauts boarded a vehicle and departed for the launch site amid cheers from a crowd of well-wishers.

The three astronauts will take over command of China's Tiangong space station from the Shenzhou-21 crew currently in orbit, and one of them will conduct a one-year in-orbit stay, double the usual duration of previous Shenzhou missions.

Notably, astronaut Lai Ka-ying is also the first astronaut from China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's manned spaceflight program, and the seventh manned flight mission since the Tiangong space station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.

Send-off ceremony held for Shenzhou-23 astronauts before launch

Send-off ceremony held for Shenzhou-23 astronauts before launch

Send-off ceremony held for Shenzhou-23 astronauts before launch

Send-off ceremony held for Shenzhou-23 astronauts before launch

The 2026 World AI Conference, which kicked off on Friday in Shanghai, has received widespread global attention, cementing its status as a premier platform for shaping the future of artificial intelligence governance.

As nations grapple with balancing innovation and regulation, the Shanghai gathering has become an increasingly vital venue for fostering international cooperation on AI policy.

Dilma Rousseff, President of the New Development Bank, praised China's role in shaping global AI governance.

"China acts as a pragmatic standard-setter, a capacity-builder and a partner on safety-shaping, interoperable governance that seeks to preserve innovation while managing systemic risks," she said.

Jeffrey Sachs, Professor of Economics at Columbia University and a former high-level UN advisor, highlighted the conference's growing significance on the world stage.

"This gathering in Shanghai, which has been going on for several years on an annual basis, is growing in global importance because of this broadening partnership of China and the emerging economies," he said.

Themed "AI Partnership for a Brighter Future," the 2026 World AI Conference features more than 140 forums and brings together 1,400 guests from home and abroad. It spans six sections: Conferences and Forums, Exhibitions and Showcases, Awards and Competitions, Application Experiences, Innovation Incubation, and Talent Attraction.

Foreign officials, scholars highlight importance of 2026 World AI Conference