Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space program, said the country will be able to rendezvous with other countries' spacecraft at the space station. China is also exploring the possibility of carrying out a joint rescue operation, according to Zhou.

China is now in an appropriate position to assist developing countries in building the capacity and capability of conducting space activities," said Mazlan Othman, director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.

Many nations have realized that space is very important in the context of development, both globally and nationally, and China is a good example of how space can become a vital and crucial aspect of economic development."

Othman said China is doing well in sharing its experiences with other nations and declaring its intentions, leaving no doubt that its space endeavors are for peaceful purposes.

Othman said she is convinced that China will promote space exploration for all mankind with its resolve and huge investment.

I think China can lead in the international community's exploration of space. It has the political will to expand its manned space endeavors, and based on that will, China has ensured and set aside enough resources."

Cooperation to be expanded

Foreign delegates at a manned space conference said they look forward to expanding cooperation with China in the manned space initiatives.

China has developed and launched satellites for us, and we expect China could do more to help us develop our own space programs," Babatunda Rabin, from the Nigerian Space Agency, said on the sidelines of the United Nations/China Workshop on Human Space Technology.

Rabin said Nigeria is trying to use aerospace technologies to solve problems such as food security and prevalent diseases, which are areas where China can use its advanced technologies and rich experience to help his nation.

If China starts taking foreign astronauts to outer space, we would like to be the first candidate," said Ahmed Bilal, chairman of the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission. We also want to cooperate with China in remote sensing technology and educating the public about space."

Folk Horheck, an astrobiologist from Germany, said the event enables people like him whose work deals with space to learn more about China's astronautic and space research.

China has a long-range plan of building a space station, and this provides huge opportunities for the world to cooperate with China in space exploration," said Takao Doi, a space applications expert from the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.

— Zhao Lei