From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Head of Mission of China to the African Union, Ambassador Hu Changchun, has said that space cooperation has become a strong point in promoting the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Africa.
Hu stated this on the occasion of the “Dialogue with Taikonauts” which held at the African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and eight African countries, including Nigeria.
The “Dialogue with Taikonauts” was co-organized by the Chinese Mission to the African Union, the Agency China Human Spaceflight and the African Union.
The event which focused on China’s Tiangong Space Station and China-Africa Aerospace Cooperation, brought together, teenagers from across the African countries who interacted with the Chinese Taikonauts.
Hu also said it was the first time that Chinese astronauts have interacted directly with young Africans via the Sky-Earth connection, which has sparked a passion for space on the African continent.
He stated that as part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the African Union, the event received strong support from the aerospace authorities of African countries and Chinese Embassies in Africa, especially the active participation of young Africans, as well as the great media attention.
Hu said: “The starry sky always awakens human aspiration. From the manuscripts of Timbuktu, to the creation of the African Space Agency, to the large radio telescope in South Africa, African peoples have been firmly committed to space exploration since time immemorial. In China, there was in ancient times the legend of Chang’e flying to the Moon, and today the dream of manned space flight has become a reality.
“In recent years, driven by the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, space cooperation has become a strong point in promoting our comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. The diversified exchanges have yielded abundant fruits, especially in the manufacture and launch of satellites, the construction of aerospace infrastructure, the sharing of satellite resources, the training of engineers and joint research.”
The Chinese envoy further said young people were the future and talents and the foundation of recovery.
He stated that to help African countries build capacity for self-reliant development, China has since the year 2000, trained more than 300,000 African talents in various fields and provided a number of scholarships for students from the mainland.
“Today’s event once again testifies to the determination of China and Africa to climb the scientific and technological heights together. The “Dialogue with Taikonauts” will further arouse the ardour of young Africans for space and science.
“The journey to the stars always begins with the first step! I am convinced that you will be inspired by aerospace pioneers and work hard to acquire skills, master advanced technologies, in order to better explore nature, realize the rise of the continent and make active contributions to building a stronger China-Africa community of destiny and to the progress of humanity,” Hu also said.
In his remarks, the African Union Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Mohamed Belhocine, recalled that the African Outer Space Programme is a flagship of Agenda 2063 that focused on four main domains, including Earth Observation, Satellite Communication, Navigation and Positioning and, Astronomy and Space Sciences.
Belhocine also said that building on the bricks of the National Space Programmes, it is designed to create a well-coordinated and integrated continental programme that is responsive to the continent’s socio-economic development needs which also aimed to develop regulatory frameworks that support the African space agenda.
“In the NewSpace era, Africa is open to mutually beneficial cooperation since it has been termed as the new Eldorado for space business, and it is readily for engagements on win-win scenario,” Belhocine said.