China, Seychelles elevate ties to strategic partnership

China and Seychelles elevated their relations to a strategic partnership on Monday, as Chinese President Xi Jinping and President of Seychelles Wavel Ramkalawan announced during their meeting in Beijing.

Ramkalawan is in Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) scheduled for Sept 4 to 6.

Xi said at the meeting that China-Seychelles relations set an example of sincere friendship, equality, solidarity and mutual assistance, as well as mutual benefit and win-win outcomes between countries of different sizes.

He called on the two sides to prioritize support for each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, and adhere to strategic mutual trust, common development, common security and traditional friendship.

Xi welcomes Seychelles to continue to participate in the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development and Cooperation, to accelerate sustainable development of marine resources, and transform the potential of its blue economy into development momentum.

China stands ready to enhance cooperation with Seychelles in emergency response, disaster prevention and mitigation, and support the African country in combating piracy and illegal activities, he said.

Xi said that China supports the launch of direct flights with Seychelles, and encourages tourists from the two countries to visit in both directions.

He also extended welcome to outstanding students in Seychelles to study in China, to carry on the cause of friendship between the two countries.

Xi stressed that China-Africa cooperation remains committed to mutual benefits and win-win outcomes, moves with the times, and sets the pace in international cooperation with Africa.

Over the past 24 years since the FOCAC was founded, it has boosted China-Africa cooperation to make remarkable achievements, he said.

China is willing to work together with all parties including Seychelles to promote successful outcomes of the summit and more tangible results of China-Africa cooperation, Xi said.

Ramkalawan expressed gratitude for China's invaluable help, stressing that Chinese vaccines should be thanked for the fact that Seychelles has been able to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and resume its economic and social development in a relatively short span of time.

Seychelles admires President Xi's extraordinary vision, and major ideas and initiatives that he has proposed, and stands ready to continue to work with China to offer staunch support to each other and be each other's real friend, he said.

Seychelles remains firm in the one-China policy, and supports China in realizing national reunification, the president said, adding that his country is willing to join hands with China to deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields and maintain close coordination in international affairs.

He said that he looks forward to the opening of the direct flight from southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu to Seychelles to further promote friendship between the two countries, and welcomes Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark to visit Seychelles again.

He wished the upcoming FOCAC summit a complete success.

During the summit, China and Seychelles will sign the Belt and Road cooperation plan and other bilateral cooperation documents in such fields as subnational cooperation.

China, Seychelles elevate ties to strategic partnership

China, Seychelles elevate ties to strategic partnership

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