April 24, 2026 marks the 11th China Space Day. Guo Jiakun, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a press briefing on the same day that outer space should not be an arena for major-country rivalry, and China will continue to join hands with all parties to build an open space "circle of friends".
At the regular press conference that day, a journalist raised a question: Today marks the 11th China Space Day and also the 70th anniversary of the founding of China’s space industry. As space competition has evolved from technological rivalry to a "Competition 2.0 stage" focused on rule-setting and alliance-building, how will China, a major spacefaring nation, advance more inclusive space cooperation? Will China further open up its space sector to international partners in the future?
Guo Jiakun pointed out that exploring the vast universe is the shared aspiration of all humanity and the unremitting pursuit of Chinese space professionals. Through 70 years of sustained efforts and self-reliant development, China’s space industry has grown from scratch, achieving historic leaps from artificial satellites and manned spaceflight to deep space exploration, and securing remarkable accomplishments. China has always conducted in-depth international cooperation in outer space on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, peaceful utilization and inclusive development. In Africa, China has signed space cooperation agreements with multiple African countries, and ten paintings created by African teenagers have been displayed on the Tiangong space station. In South America, the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite program safeguards tropical rainforests. In Asia, Pakistani astronauts have passed selection and are expected to travel to the space station alongside Chinese astronauts.
"Outer space is not an arena for major-country games. China will continue to work with all parties to foster an open space community and advance the common cause of humanity’s exploration of outer space," Guo Jiakun emphasized.
