Shenzhou XI, China's sixth manned spacecraft, docked with space lab Tiangong II on Wednesday, bringing the nation's planned space station one step closer to reality.
Although China's efforts to become a space power are being made in the spirit of peace, coverage by Western media of the successful launch of Shenzhou XI on Monday alluded to China's space program having a military background.
Mentions of China's commitment to international cooperation and sharing lessons from its manned space program with other countries, especially developing countries, were absent in much of the coverage, which instead focused on the mission's supposed military elements.
Yet driven by the principle of the peaceful use of space, China has signed multiple cooperation agreements with over 30 countries and organizations including Germany, France, Russia, Kazakhstan, the European Space Agency and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
The nation's manned space engineering office has said it will expand international cooperation on equipment research and development, space applications, astronaut training, joint missions and aerospace medical care.
During the past decades, China has made rapid and remarkable achievements in its space technology program, which have been met with worldwide approval.
It should come as no surprise that rather than seeking military deployment in space, China is actively engaged in scientific exploration through experiments conducted during the space missions. This is the major theme and goal of the program.
China's trajectory has proved that its space exploration is peaceful, diverse and productive.
In 1999, Shenzhou 1 tested space mutation breeding by carrying seeds, including green pepper, melon, tomato and licorice, as well as bioactive strains that could help to develop medicines for cardio-cerebrovascular diseases.
China worked with Germany in 2011 on the Shenzhou VIII mission, which featured cooperative experiments in life science on board the spacecraft.
Chinese astronauts on the 2012 Shenzhou IX mission completed 15 experiments in aerospace medicine. During the Shenzhou X mission the following year, more space-specific medical experiments were conducted, in addition to technical tests and a lecture delivered to students on Earth.
During the ongoing Shenzhou XI mission, astronauts will conduct three experiments designed by middle school students from the country's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, including raising silkworms.
China's space missions benefit people's everyday lives. Its space programs have developed a number of top-quality and high-yield farm products that have ended up on dining tables across China.
China's manned space missions showcase an applied science program that aims to support scientific progress and economic development.
China wants to use its space program for peaceful purposes and it values sharing as a way to benefit all of humanity.
In 2011, the central government issued a white paper on China's space program, which highlighted its adherence to exploration and the utilization of space for peaceful purposes.
These actions and words should not fall on deaf ears.
China is open to cooperating with other countries in space exploration. So far, it has helped over 20 countries and regions with 50 launches, and exported 11 satellites to nine countries. China's contributions to the space industry have been widely acknowledged.
Should the International Space Station end its mission as scheduled in 2024, China's planned space station may become the only permanent science laboratory in space.
Extensive global cooperation is the future. It is also the here-and-now and it is unavoidable, as it should be. Over the years China has proved itself an important and reliable partner in space exploration.
More cooperation, rather than thinly veiled agendas, will advance space exploration -- an endeavor that belongs to all of mankind.
The authors are writers with Xinhua News Agency.
