Science without borders: China welcomes global cooperation in space

Editor's note: Wu Lei is a current affairs commentator. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Invisible from the ground, a massive spacecraft, 400 kilometers above, is orbiting Earth 16 times a day. That is China's Tiangong space station, fully operational since the end of 2022. Every six months, a new batch of Chinese taikonauts goes up to the station to conduct experiments aboard.

From 2023 to till now, there have been six crewed space missions, sending a total of 18 astronauts in person-times. More than 260 scientific and applied research projects have been carried out, spanning fields such as space life sciences, human physiology, microgravity physics and advanced space technologies. They have produced breakthroughs in both scientific application and technological capability.

China initially sought to take part in the International Space Station (ISS) program but was denied participation. This exclusion was further entrenched in 2011 with the "Wolf Amendment," a US law prohibiting NASA from engaging with China's space program.

In response, Chinese scientists pressed ahead with independent development, investing heavily in designing and advancing rockets, spacecraft and satellite systems. That sustained effort culminated in the Tiangong space station.

Unlike the isolation China faced, Tiangong is dedicated to openness. It is not a national achievement alone but a global platform for space exploration. China has collaborated with the United Nations, opening the station to scientific projects from several countries. In 2019, the China Manned Space Agency and the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs jointly announced opportunities for UN member states, especially developing countries, to conduct experiments aboard Tiangong. This opened China's orbital laboratory to the world, offering access where geopolitical exclusions have often limited participation.

The first batch of selected projects from 17 countries, including Switzerland, Poland, Germany and Italy, covers research on human health in long-duration spaceflight, microgravity physics and cosmic observation.

Last year, China and Pakistan signed a cooperation agreement for the selection and training of astronauts. Tiangong will soon welcome its first Pakistani astronaut, who will undertake a short-term flight mission as a payload specialist.

China remains open to collaboration with the international community, welcoming peers from around the world to share in the achievements of its manned space program, satellites, and lunar, Mars, and other deep space exploration projects.

Chang'e-7 mission and the lunar research station

China has been expanding international collaboration in its lunar exploration program since the Chang'e-4 mission in 2019 that achieved the first soft landing on the far side of the moon. The upcoming Chang'e-7 mission, a robotic exploration to comprehensively survey the lunar south pole, continues that trajectory.

The mission, expected to be launched in the second half of 2026, will carry six payloads from Egypt, Bahrain, Italy, Russia, Switzerland and Thailand, along with contributions from the International Lunar Observatory Association.

It aims to achieve breakthroughs in several critical technologies, including high-precision soft landing, legged mobility, surface hopping and the exploration of permanently shadowed craters. Integrating orbiting, landing, roving and hopping capabilities, the mission will advance international cooperation in lunar science and exploration.

China is working with 17 countries and international organizations, as well as over 50 international research institutions to co-build the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). This project includes building a multinational, comprehensive scientific research facility on both the lunar surface and in lunar orbit. This is intended for long-term autonomous operation with short-term human participation.

The ILRS' capabilities will include Earth-moon transportation, power supply, central control, communication and navigation, lunar surface exploration and ground support. It will be implemented in two phases. A basic version of the station is planned to be constructed by 2035, and the second phase will upgrade this foundation into an expanded version by 2045.

Scientific satellites: Platforms for int'l partnerships

Besides the Tiangong space station and lunar missions, China also works closely with international partners on scientific satellites. For example, the first astronomical satellite jointly developed by China and France, the Space Variable Objects Monitor, was launched in 2024, a testament to high-level, deep-tech cooperation.

In April 2025, it announced the detection of a gamma-ray burst from 13 billion years ago, offering a glimpse into the universe's infancy. The mission involves shared responsibility for the satellite platform and instruments, with data openly available to the global scientific community. Such achievements underscore how pooling expertise across borders can unlock mysteries that no single nation could solve alone.

China's engagement with Latin America, particularly Brazil, further illustrates its commitment to equitable, long-term collaboration. The China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS) program, initiated in 1988, has produced six satellites to date, with a seventh under joint development. These satellites provide critical data for natural resource management, agricultural monitoring and environmental protection in both countries.

Notably, CBERS data plays a vital role in monitoring deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, contributing to a reported 66% drop in deforestation in July 2023 compared to the same period the previous year. Last year, China and Brazil agreed to share CBERS data with other Latin American and Caribbean countries, extending the benefits of space technology to an entire region.

This initiative, praised as a "model of South-South cooperation in high-tech fields," shows how space collaboration can address global challenges like climate change and sustainable development.

As the world marks the International Day of Human Space Flight on April 12, China's aerospace trajectory presents a counterpoint to narratives of division. Through tangible initiatives, opening its space station through the UN, training astronauts from partner countries, jointly developing advanced satellites with European collaborators and maintaining long-standing resource-monitoring partnerships with Brazil, China underscores that "science knows no borders" is no mere slogan but a guiding practice.

At a time when global dynamics risk drifting toward fragmentation, such cooperation serves as a bridge, highlighting that progress in understanding the universe and improving life on Earth depends on the open exchange of knowledge, talent and resources. The 70-year evolution of China's space program is not a solitary achievement but an open invitation to move beyond earthly rivalries and collectively pursue the limitless possibilities of space for the benefit of all.

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