Yang Liwei Photo: VCG

At the ongoing 77th International Astronautical Congress in Turkey, Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut to enter space, said that the first foreign astronauts training for China's manned space program are progressing well in their training. He also revealed that China plans to build a lunar research station, according to CCTV News.

Two Pakistani astronauts, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud, arrived in China in April and entered the Astronaut Center of China in Beijing to train alongside their Chinese peers. They were selected as part of the first batch of foreign candidates for China's manned space program, the Xinhua News Agency reported in April. 

The two Pakistani candidates have performed well throughout their joint training with Chinese astronauts. According to the plan, one of the Pakistani astronauts will serve as a payload specialist on a short-duration spaceflight mission, said Yang, who is a deputy chief designer of China's manned space program. 

The Pakistani astronaut, who will participate in the space mission, will become the first foreign astronaut to board China's Tiangong space station.

The selection and training of Pakistani astronauts represents a landmark achievement in international cooperation for China's space program and demonstrates China's open attitude in sharing its space development achievements with the international community, according to the China Manned Space Agency in April. 

In February 2025, China and Pakistan signed a cooperation agreement in Islamabad, Pakistan for the spaceflight mission that seeks to put a Pakistani astronaut on the Chinese space station, officially launching the selection process for Pakistani astronauts. 

The five-day astronautical congress features sessions addressing some of the industry's key priorities, ranging from lunar exploration and satellite systems to artificial intelligence, space security and international cooperation. The event is set to run until Friday under the theme "The World Needs More Space." 

At the event, Yang also revealed that China is advancing its crewed lunar exploration program, aiming to land Chinese astronauts on the moon before 2030. The Long March-10 rocket, Mengzhou spacecraft and Lanyue lunar lander have all passed key tests, CGTN reported on Tuesday. 

China's space station will serve as an experimental platform open to scientists from around the world, with further cooperation to be deepened in areas including scientific research, astronaut training, flight opportunities and science education. China hopes to engage in exchanges with countries around the world and seek opportunities for cooperation, Yang noted. 

Regarding China's crewed lunar exploration program, Yang said that China will subsequently conduct research and development in lunar science and build a lunar research station. To this end, China hopes to engage in exchanges with countries around the world and seek opportunities for cooperation.