China Recruits Pakistanis
- China announced it will recruit Pakistani astronauts for missions to its space station, the first foreign recruits. - The announcement came as Beijing simultaneously reasserted claims over Taiwan in recent statements. - Observers say the recruitments signal deepening China-Pakistan ties and carry diplomatic symbolism (x.com) (x.com).
China has picked two Pakistanis for astronaut training, and one is set to become the first foreign crew member on its Tiangong space station. (english.news.cn) The China Manned Space Agency said on April 22 that Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud will travel to China as reserve astronauts. After training and evaluations, one will fly as a payload specialist on a future mission. (english.news.cn) China and Pakistan signed the astronaut cooperation agreement in Islamabad in February 2025, starting a selection process that Chinese state media said moved through screening, evaluation, and final selection. Pakistan’s space agency, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, said the mission will include scientific experiments aboard the China Space Station. (news.cgtn.com) (thenews.pk) The announcement gives China’s station its first foreign recruits at a time when Beijing is trying to show that Tiangong can host international partners as the International Space Station ages and China remains excluded from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-led program. (chinadaily.com.cn) (news.cgtn.com) It also lands in the same week that Beijing again wrapped diplomacy around its “one China” position on Taiwan. On April 22, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office praised Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar for denying overflight permission to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s aircraft and said adherence to the one-China principle is “the norm of international relations.” (malaymail.com) Taiwan said those countries revoked permission after pressure from Beijing and accused China of suppressing Taiwan’s sovereign status in recent joint statements with foreign governments. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office denied using coercion. (usnews.com) (en.mofa.gov.tw) Pakistan has long been one of China’s closest security and infrastructure partners, from defense cooperation to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said this week that the astronaut mission reflects the “enduring Pakistan-China strategic partnership.” (brecorder.com) (news.cgtn.com) For Pakistan, the selection puts two named candidates into a human spaceflight program for the first time. For China, it puts a foreign face on Tiangong before the first Pakistani trainee has even left the ground. (dawn.com) (english.news.cn)
