The Chinese cargo craft Tianzhou-8 completed its status setup and successfully docked with the orbiting Tiangong space station on Saturday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
At 02:32 Beijing Time (18:32 GMT), the Tianzhou-8 cargo craft docked at the rear docking port of the Tianhe core module, said the CMSA.
The Shenzhou-19 crew members aboard the space station will gradually transfer items from the cargo craft to the station.
Tianzhou-8 was launched into space atop a Long March-7 Y9 carrier rocket at 23:13 Beijing Time (15:13 GMT) on Friday from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province.
The cargo craft is loaded with essential supplies for the orbiting crew, including living necessities, medical supplies and support materials for their spacewalks.
It also carries multiple new test payloads that will provide crucial support for the advancement and application of new technologies, as well as the progress of space science.
Notably, the 'lunar soil brick,' created by Chinese scientists to simulate the composition of lunar soil, is also aboard Tianzhou-8 for space exposure experiments aimed at confirming whether the 'brick' can be used to construct houses on the moon.
There is also a unique species -- fruit flies -- among the scientific experiment payloads carried by Tianzhou-8. They are expected to help complete the country's first space sub-magnetic-microgravity composite environment science experiment.
China's cargo craft Tianzhou-8 successfully docks with Tiangong space station
China's cargo craft Tianzhou-8 successfully docks with Tiangong space station
China and Thailand should accelerate the construction of the China-Thailand Railway and expand cooperation in emerging fields such as new energy, digital economy and artificial intelligence, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday.
He made the remarks when meeting with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on the sidelines of the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.
China and Thailand are close and friendly neighbors, with the concept of "China and Thailand as one family" standing the test of time and gaining renewed vitality, said Xi.
He recalled his visit to Thailand in November 2022, during which he reached important consensus with Thai leaders on building a China-Thailand community with a shared future.
It was a delight to see the outcomes of the visit being effectively implemented, with bilateral cooperation making positive progress across various fields and bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples, he said.
Noting that next year marks the 50th anniversary of China-Thailand diplomatic relations as well as the Golden Year of Friendship between the two countries, Xi said China stands ready to work with Thailand to carry forward the traditional friendship, strengthen the alignment of development strategies, deepen exchanges on governance experience, advance mutually beneficial cooperation across various fields, support the modernization of both countries and push forward the building of a China-Thailand community with a shared future.
Xi called on the two countries to enhance cultural, educational, and youth exchanges, organize such events as the enshrinement of the Buddha tooth relic in Thailand, deepen the bond between the two peoples, and pass on the China-Thailand friendship from generation to generation.
China is also willing to strengthen coordination and communication with Thailand within multilateral mechanisms such as the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, ASEAN, BRICS, and APEC, to safeguard the unity and cooperation of ASEAN and regional nations and contribute to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity, said Xi.
For her part, Paetongtarn said the world and the region are currently witnessing increasing turmoil, and the series of global initiatives put forward by China are strategically forward-looking and conducive to strengthening international solidarity and cooperation.
Regarding China as a good friend and good partner, Thailand admires China's remarkable achievements in areas like poverty alleviation, and looks forward to taking the upcoming 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the Golden Year of Friendship as an opportunity to enhance high-level exchanges with China, with the aim of jointly charting an even brighter future for Thailand-China relations in the next 50 years, said Paetongtarn.
Thailand hopes to learn from China's successful development experiences, advance cooperation on the Thailand-China Railway and other Belt and Road cooperation projects, strengthen cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and deepen traditional friendship, she said.
Paetongtarn also said that Thailand stands ready to strengthen collaboration with China within multilateral frameworks such as APEC and jointly safeguard the free trade system.
Xi calls for accelerating China-Thailand Railway construction, expanding cooperation in emerging fields with Thailand
