China is about to start selection of foreign astronauts for missions at China's space station, according to Chen Shanguang, deputy chief designer of China's manned space program. 

Complying with the principles of peaceful use, equality, mutual benefit and inclusive development, China has persistently carried out international cooperation and exchanges with countries and regions around the world, promoting the peaceful use of outer space. 

Multiple space application projects jointly picked by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the European Space Agency are underway as planned, and the relevant payloads will be gradually sent to the space station to carry out experiments this year. 

Many countries have proposed to select and send astronauts to participate in the space station missions, according to Chen. 

"We are about to start selecting international astronauts to send to our space station and carry out scientific experiments together. Coming to China's space station and taking a Chinese rocket to space requires familiarity with China's spacecrafts," Chen said. 

"This may have to wait until they arrive in China so that our instructors can train them. We also hope foreign astronauts coming to China's space station can know more about Chinese culture, and of course we hope the cultural exchanges among astronauts from different countries can promote mutual progress with growing value," he said.

(Cover image: An illustration of China's space station. /CMG)