Spokesman on training of China’s fourth batch of astronauts

China’s fourth batch of astronauts is currently undergoing training as planned and could join the candidate crew in the future, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Wednesday.

“Since they joined the team in August 2024, the fourth batch of astronauts has undertaken the studies of basic space theory, multiple trainings on psychology and adaptability to space environment and some specialized trainings following the plan,” CMSA spokesman Lin Xiqiang said at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, ahead of the launch of the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft scheduled for Thursday.

“We are carrying out the training on the fourth batch of astronauts in an orderly and organized way as planned. After qualifying for spaceflight, they will be included in the candidate crew. We believe that they will be seen in future flight crews successively soon,” Lin said.

“After they joined the team, astronauts from Hong Kong and Macao quickly adapted themselves to the working and living environment and swiftly got integrated into the astronaut crew. They have worked very hard in trainings with all the work progressing smoothly. They are currently engaged in studies and trainings on professional space technologies. As payload experts, the Hong Kong and Macao astronauts are expected to carry out their first flight mission in 2026 at the earliest,” he said.

China’s Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 17:17 Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country’s northwest, the CMSA announced on Wednesday.

A record 148,585 overseas buyers from 216 countries and regions attended the first phase of the 137th edition of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, which concluded in Guangzhou, capital of south China’s Guangdong Province, on Saturday

This marks a significant increase in participation, with buyers from countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) reaching 101,863, up 20.2 percent from the same period last year.

Buyers from BRICS countries totaled 38,434, a 23.9-percent rise, while those from member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) numbered 29,530, an increase of 4.1 percent.

Buyers from European and American countries amounted to 23,731, growing by 6.8 percent.

Leveraging Canton Fair’s open and collaborative platform, global buyers and suppliers can engage in face-to-face discussions.

Additionally, thanks to China’s complete industrial chain and efficient supply chain system, buyers can explore products at the fair and then visit factories for on-site inspections, uncovering more business opportunities.

In Guangdong, many factories and workshops are receiving a steady stream of clients attracted by the fair, and this “factory tour” trend is continuing to gain momentum.

At a motorcycle test track over 100 kilometers away from the Canton Fair venue in Guangdong’s Jiangmen City, many foreign buyers tested motorcycles firsthand.

On display at the test site were over 20 models tailored specifically for markets in Africa, South America, and the Middle East, meeting the testing and test-driving needs of the buyers.

Motorcycles have long been one of Jiangmen’s top three export products.

In 2024, the city’s motorcycle export value surpassed 13 billion yuan (more than 1.78 billion U.S. dollars), marking a growth of more than 40 percent.

During the fair, local businesses had been actively organizing events to invite foreign buyers to visit their factories, helping to secure orders.

Not limited to the motorcycle industry, many other businesses also took advantage of the fair to attract buyers.

At a foreign trade enterprise in Guangzhou, the production line is working at full capacity to fulfill orders.

Inside the workshop, automatic pick-and-place machines assemble circuit boards at a rate of five components per second, and an AI visual inspection system has boosted the product pass rate to 99.6 percent.

The company’s boss said that before the fair even started, they had already hosted foreign buyers from Europe, Southeast Asia, and other regions, and many of them placed orders after visiting the production facilities.

“I come to the production area. I was amazed, by the way the work has been done. [I’m] very, very impressed. The quality control, everything was in such a high standard, very high standard. [I’m] very impressed with the production, very impressed with the people behind it,” said a buyer from Britain.

“We met 58 potential customers during the first phase of this year’s Canton Fair and invited 18 groups of buyers to visit our factory. Currently, the value of intended orders exceeds 39 million yuan (about 5.34 million U.S. dollars),” said Zeng Zhitao, manager of the company.

Since its debut at the Canton Fair in 2023, the company has seen its foreign trade orders grow by an average of 30 percent annually, with a stable customer conversion rate of more than 40 percent per session.

With the ongoing growth of overseas demand, this year the company plans to invest 68 million yuan (about 9.32 million U.S. dollars) to expand its smart factory and invite international buyers to inspect production lines, enhancing cooperation confidence with transparent manufacturing practices.