China urges US to remove obstacles hindering international space cooperation

China's space agency on Thursday said the United States needs to remove the obstacles hindering the cooperation between the two countries' scientists in the sector of space.

At a press conference in Beijing, Bian Zhigang, deputy head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), said the obstacles are mainly from the U.S. side.

China always holds an open attitude in space collaboration with other countries, he noted.

"China is always open to exchanges and cooperation with the United States in the field of space. We have established space cooperation working groups with the United States on lunar science and space science. A civil aerospace dialogue mechanism with the U.S. government was also set up. In response to U.S. requests, the CNSA has initiated an exchange mechanism for Mars probe orbital data, a framework designed to evaluate potential collision risks for Mars probes of both sides in orbit, in order to ensure a smooth and consistent operation of two sides' Mars exploration programs. Regarding your question, the current challenges hindering the China-U.S. space cooperation primarily stemmed from U.S. domestic legislation such as the Wolf Amendment," Bian said.

In 2011, the U.S. Congress passed a law known as the Wolf Amendment, prohibiting U.S. government agencies, including NASA and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, from cooperating with China on space activities.

Noting that China's remarkable achievements in space are a testament to the dedication and ingenuity of its own people, Bian said that the Wolf Amendment has failed to deter China's progress but inadvertently created a stumbling block for the normal exchanges in space activities between the two countries.

"If the U.S. side sincerely hopes to carry out normal space exchanges with China, it must take practical measures to remove the obstacles. As for China's future space plans, they will be carried out at China's own pace for peaceful use. We're always eager to develop equal and mutually beneficial cooperation in an open and inclusive attitude," Bian said.

China urges US to remove obstacles hindering international space cooperation

E-commerce is helping farmers in the Aksu Prefecture in the landlocked region of Xinjiang in northwest China to overcome geographical obstacles and sell their produce to consumers across the country.

As the westernmost region of China bordering Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Xinjiang is thousands of kilometers away from the eastern markets, a despairing distance for local fruit farmers.

"Our apples [used to] make it to domestic markets through traditional ways. The problem is that they have to be picked before they're ripe because of the long transport time," said Zhou Hu, owner of Aksu Qiguo E-commerce.

Zhou runs a company that sells fruits purchased from local farmers to online consumers in live-streaming shows.

"Previously, it might take five to seven days for the apples to arrive. Now with e-commerce, it takes two to three days," Zhou said.

As the business thrives, Zhou has helped raise the income of local farmers.

"We offer farmers 20 percent more of the total price than traditional buyers. That has a direct impact on farmers," Zhou said.

Seizing the opportunity brought about by e-commerce development, Rizwan Guli Erkin opened a store named Ga Beng Cui Dry Fruit Store on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, to help her parents sell paper shell walnuts.

"The walnuts are grown by my parents. They only know how to grow them but don't know how to sell. So after college I've helped them with sales," she said.

Another one who has spotted this opportunity and returned home to build local businesses is Zheng Haozhe, CEO of the Future Village, an accommodation business in Onsu County of Aksu.

"I went to the U.S. when I was 14. I started from the ninth grade in high school. The U.S. has given me a very good education, but now, I feel very grateful to come back to my country and keep building my country, especially in a border area in the western area where things are not very developed," Zheng said.

E-commerce helps Xinjiang farmers reach markets across China