Press Briefing on China's Manned Space Programme: Achievements and Prospects

On the occasion of China's first manned space flight last October, onboard of which two United Nations flags were carried, a briefing was organized by UNIS Vienna on 28 May. The speakers were Mr. Hu Shixiang, Head of Delegation and Deputy Commander in Chief of China Manned Space Engineering Programme, Mr. Yang Liwei (Photo), Astronaut in the Astronaut Team of Chinese People's Liberation Army, and Mr. Sergio Camacho, Director of United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA). The event was opened and moderated by Mr. Christian Strohmann, Officer-in-Charge of UNIS Vienna.

At the beginning of the briefing, a DVD was shown about the Chinese manned space programme, and the successful first space trip with UN flags on board. The video also included the ceremony during which the flag was handed to the Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations in Vienna, Ambassador Zhang Yan, by Antonio Maria Costa, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, on behalf of United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan.

In his statement Mr. Hu underlined the historical importance of bringing a UN flag on the first Chinese manned spaceflight, symbolizing China's firm commitment to use outer space for peaceful purposes and for the benefit of all humankind. Mr. Hu said that this mission was an expression of the Chinese government's support to the United Nations Charter and the Organization's mission, and also of the Chinese people's love of peace. Furthermore, Mr. Hu said that when the UN flag was returned to the headquarters on 19 May, Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed high appreciation for the Chinese achievement and asked other member states to learn from China.

Mr. Yang then took the floor and said it had been a great honour to display the UN flag in outer space. He said that the peaceful use of outer space was not only China's aim but also a common goal of all nations. He also expressed his wish to cooperate with the international space community to contribute to world development.

In his statement, Mr. Camacho declared his appreciation of the Chinese manned space programme. He said it was a very important manifestation of China's support for UN values, pointing out that the achievement was even more satisfying as China was a developing country. He underlined the fact that China had the intention to use its technology to help other developing countries in such fields as disaster management.

The briefing was followed by a question-and-answer session. In response to the question regarding China's standing in space in 2030, Mr. Hu said that China was planning another six space flights in the programme, which would be finished by 2015 or later. He also explained that they had started a lunar engineering project.

Answering the question on China's position on shuttle launching, Mr. Hu said that they would continue with the programme in order to further develop their manned space technology and to make the spacecraft more reliable and stable.     

To the question about how China would contribute to the development of space law, Mr. Hu replied that China supported space law to enforce peaceful uses of outer space for all nations.

Answering the question on whether China would cooperate with other countries to take other than Chinese citizens to outer space, Mr. Hu said that China had only taken its first step in manned spaceflight, but was interested in pursuing such projects in the future.

To the question about what the main aspects of the cooperation between the Chinese Manned Space Programme, NASA and the Russian Space Programme were, Mr. Hu answered that China wanted to cooperate with peace-loving members of the international community, including the US and Russia.

In response to the question regarding how space architecture could help him to stay in space longer, Mr. Yang said that the Chinese people had designed the spacecraft independently, working conditions had been reliable and stable, and the inner environment had been good. He added that continuous efforts were underway to improve the facilities and the equipment.

To the question about what kind of cooperation China would develop with the international community, Mr. Yang replied that he was willing to cooperate in all aspects and that he believed in a bright future for international cooperation in space technology.

Answering the question whether his journey had an impact on the way he saw the planet, Mr. Yang answered that his first flight had given him new thoughts about our planet and the universe. He stressed that having seen the beauty of our planet from the outside it had made him realize the importance of peace and protecting the environment.

To the question about whether there was a transfer of technology between China and other countries, Mr. Hu answered that during the first half of 2004, cooperation with European countries resulted in the launch of a satellite to explore Earth, and that a second satellite would be launched in the other half of the year. Mr. Camacho added that disaster management was an important part of international cooperation. He said that it involved three types of technology: observation from satellites, earthquake detection and satellite navigation systems (GPS).

To the question about China's national space law, Mr Hu answered that they would obey UN space law but agreement between member states was needed for peaceful uses and mutual benefit.

About 40 representatives of media and permanent missions attended the press briefing. (APTN, Reuters, IRNA, APA, EUREKA, The Sekkai Nippo, ORF, Der Standard, Die Presse, Delo, Al Hayat, The Yomiuri Shimbun, Space Informer)

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