China shares lunar samples with Russia, France

China has shared lunar samples with Russia and France, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Monday.

During the launch ceremony of the Space Day of China in Hefei, capital of Anhui Province, the CNSA said that China presented France with 1.5 grams of lunar samples for scientific purposes when French President Emmanuel Macron visited China earlier this month.

During Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China in February 2022, China presented Russia with 1.5 grams of lunar samples for scientific research, the CNSA said, adding that in March 2023, during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia, Russia reciprocated by giving China the same amount of lunar samples for scientific pursuits.

The lunar samples China shared with Russia and France are part of the samples brought back by the Chang'e-5 mission in December 2020. In the same month, the CNSA rolled out a regulation on lunar sample management to encourage research and promote the sharing of scientific findings.

Scientists from countries such as Australia, Russia, France, the United States, Britain, and Sweden took part in the research of the lunar samples collected by China.

Sharing of and joint research on lunar samples is an important way to study the formation and evolution of the moon and explore the unknown world, the CNSA said.

China has always adhered to the principle of peaceful utilization, equality and mutual benefit to conduct aerospace exchanges and cooperation with countries around the world, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity in the field of outer space, the CNSA added.