The three-day International Global Space Exploration Conference, held in Beijing from June 6, will promote China's plans for deep space exploration, as well as foster international cooperation in space technology, according to experts.
The conference, which was hailed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in his congratulatory letter as a successful promotion of space science development and international exchange, brings together experts and decision-makers from across the world to draw a road map for the future and foster cooperation.
International cooperation has always been a priority in China's space technology industry. Due to historical and political reasons, a number of aerospace superpowers, especially the United States, have excluded China from their space efforts in the past. According to a law passed by the U.S. Congress in 2011, NASA is prohibited from engaging in bilateral agreements and coordination with China, hosting Chinese visitors at its facilities and working with researchers affiliated with any Chinese government entity or enterprise.
But that situation is about to change. Over the past few decades, China has made great strides in its aerospace industry. The great success of China's Lunar Exploration Program especially has laid a solid foundation of technology and human resources for the country's future deep space exploration. Current plans include two Mars missions and a Jupiter probe.
"The European Space Agency has already had productive cooperation with China, especially in science," Jan Woerner, director-general of the European Space Agency, told CCTV.
During the meeting, heads of space bureaus from Europe, Japan, Canada and South Africa introduced their visions for the future of space agencies, especially in the areas of cooperation and commercial launches.
According to CCTV, missions to the moon will play a major role in China's upcoming plans, and the country can look forward to more international cooperation when its new lunar probe, Chang'e-4, attempts to land on the dark side of the moon in 2018.
"China sent out invitations to cooperate when Chang'e-4 was still in its blueprint phase. So far we've received over 20 requests from over a dozen countries. The mission will involve projects from the Netherlands, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Sweden," said Liu Jizhong, director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center.
