The president of the Republic of the Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, arrived in Beijing on Monday to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which will be held in the Chinese capital from September 4 to 6.
The president's plane landed at the Beijing Capital International Airport at around 20:30.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Republic of the Congo, and President Sassou is one of the African heads of state who have visited China most often.
In 2016, the two heads of state announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership.
Over the past half century and more, the cooperation between the two countries has yielded fruitful results in various fields.
In September 2018, China and the Republic of the Congo signed a memorandum of understanding on jointly building the Belt and Road.
Bilateral trade reached 6.57 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, up 22 percent year on year.
In recent years, China has provided batches of emergency food assistance to the Republic of the Congo. China has helped build a new parliament building in the Republic of the Congo, and the project of an aircraft maintenance center is underway.
The two countries have been supporting each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns.
Both sides look forward to taking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties and the FOCAC summit as an opportunity to further consolidate political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation and push bilateral relations to a higher level.
The upcoming FOCAC summit will be held under the theme of "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future."
Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a keynote speech at the summit's opening ceremony on September 5.
President of Republic of Congo arrives in Beijing for FOCAC summit
President of Republic of Congo arrives in Beijing for FOCAC summit
The Shenzhou-18 crew members on board China's orbiting Tiangong space station have been performing a variety of tasks, including scientific experiments as well as regular maintenance and training, as showed in videos released by the China Manned Space Agency on Sunday.
The crew conducted research on the impact of long-duration manned space missions on astronauts' operational performance in the space station. The projects selected for this research were based on the characteristics of long-duration in-orbit space station missions, alongside other tasks such as in-orbit training and experiments.
After completing each project, the astronauts filled out reports detailing the operation time and scales to record their fatigue levels and mental workload. Subsequently, researchers on the ground collected and analyzed the astronauts' in-orbit operational performance data to preliminarily grasp the characteristics and patterns of changes in astronauts' operational skills during space missions.
In the space station, which functions as a national space laboratory, experiments in areas such as space materials science, fluid dynamics in microgravity, and combustion science are keeping carried out. The crew has replaced relevant experiment samples as part of these experiments.
Meanwhile, in close coordination with researchers on the ground, the three astronauts successfully completed the return of external payload using the automatic payload ingress and egress function.
Besides, the crew conducted personal noise exposure measurements and acoustic testing to assess and improve the acoustic environment within the space station.
Various tasks related to equipment inspection and maintenance, including the transfer of a pre-cooling device for biological experiment samples, have been carried out in the space station as well.
The pre-cooling device, resembling a small refrigeration unit, ensures that the samples remain "fresh" throughout the return journey to Earth.
The astronauts also regularly conducted system-wide pressure emergency drills to strengthen and further enhance their emergency response capabilities and their ability to coordinate between space and ground.
One of the drills simulated the process of three astronauts responding to an internal depressurization scenario in the space station.
Last week, the crew conducted in-orbit medical aid training. This included further familiarizing themselves with equipment locations, reviewing usage methods, and reinforcing operational procedures and skills, helping them become accustomed to rescue operations in a microgravity environment.
In terms of health maintenance, the three astronauts conducted activities such as eye pressure and fundus examinations, as well as neuromuscular stimulation, to monitor and maintain their physical condition.
Furthermore, the crew regularly carried out tasks such as cleaning, supplies arranging, and garbage transfer and storage to maintain a clean environment in the space station.
On April 25, China launched the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship, carrying three astronauts - Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu - to the space station for a six-month mission.
Shenzhou-18 crew continues experiments, maintenance, training in space
