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Around 4 am on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin's plane arrived in Beijing, marking the beginning of his two-day state visit to China. According to a previous announcement from the Kremlin, Putin will visit Harbin and attend the opening ceremony of the 8th China-Russia Expo. Accompanying him is a "high-profile economic and trade delegation" that includes Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina, and Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation chief Dmitry Shugayev.

All indications suggest that economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia will be a key topic during Putin's visit.

Chen Gang, the Russian General Manager of Suifenhe Zhongsu Automobile Import and Export Co, Ltd, is one of the exhibitors at this year's expo.

He has been busy at the company's booth these past few days. "Compared to the years before the pandemic, there are visibly more companies attending this year," Chen, a Chinese businessman long focused on opportunities related to Russia, told the Global Times.

He noted that booths at this year's expo are in high demand, with some companies even offering high prices to rent space, hoping to break into the Russian market.

"There are also a lot of Russians and Russian companies in Harbin these days; they are everywhere. My impression is that various Russian industries are eagerly seeking Chinese products and partners," Chen said.

The popularity of the expo is a reflection of the rapid development of China-Russia economic and trade cooperation in recent years. According to data released by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, in 2023, bilateral trade between China and Russia reached $240.1 billion, a 26.3 percent increase from the previous year, exceeding the target set by the leaders of both countries in 2019 to achieve $200 billion in bilateral trade by 2024. Of this, Russia imported $110.97 billion worth of goods from China, a significant year-on-year increase of 46.9 percent.

Chen's experience also confirms the aforementioned figures. Before the pandemic, Chen mainly engaged in exporting Russian agricultural products to China and in tourism between the two countries. However, in the past two years, as relations between China and Russia have grown closer, his business has entered a "new stage," expanding to the import and export of various products such as automotive equipment, asphalt, non-ferrous metals, engineering machinery, and liquefied natural gas.

"Especially in the fields of automotive and energy, these have been the hottest areas in China-Russia trade over the past two years, with great opportunities," Chen said excitedly when talking about his business development in recent years. "My revenue has increased by nearly 200 times compared to previous years."

Fan Yeliang is another Chinese businessman who has long been involved in the import and export of timber and furniture between China and Russia. These days, he is in Harbin negotiating with Russian businessmen visiting China.

He told the Global Times that last year his volume of furniture exports to Russia "increased by four to five times" compared to the period before the pandemic, and his timber import business "at least doubled."

Amid the booming market, many new "gold seekers" have also entered the trade with Russia. Fan told the Global Times that previously, most of the businesses involved in Russia-related trade were from Northeast China. Now, many companies from South China's Guangdong, East China's Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces are also participating.

There is a large market gap in Russia that needs to be filled, Chinese business representatives said. From the perspective of these Chinese businessmen, the rapid development of China-Russia economic and trade relations in the past two years is partly due to the withdrawal of countries such as the US, Europe, South Korea, and Japan from the Russian market, citing sanctions, leaving a lot of market space.

On the other hand, it is also because Chinese-made products are cost-effective and of good quality, making them very popular with overseas customers. Additionally, the strengthening of political trust between China and Russia has further increased Russian customers' trust in China.

Using his automotive business as an example, "sales of new and used Chinese cars have been very good in Russia in recent years. Brands like Changan, Geely, Haval, Great Wall, and Chery are particularly popular for their good quality and affordable prices," Chen said.

"Possibly influenced by political factors, Russians have become more inclined to cooperate with Chinese people in recent years. In daily interactions with them, one can clearly feel that various Russian sectors are eager to collaborate with China. Against this backdrop, the business environment in Russia's Far East has improved significantly, and local administrative efficiency in this regard has also increased," Chen said.

In the view of Chinese businessmen, there are several major challenges that need to be addressed for further development of China-Russia economic and trade relations. The first is the need for more convenient cross-border settlement.

Both Fan and Chen told the Global Times that in the past two to three months, due to increased US financial sanctions on Russia, banks have had to strengthen their review of cross-border trade settlements between China and Russia.

Many Chinese private enterprises with business dealings with Russia have encountered problems in receiving payments or settling accounts, sometimes facing rejection or delays of over two months. This increases the costs and cash flow pressure on small businesses.

They hope that China and Russia can expedite the integration of their respective payment settlement systems to meet the market demand for trade settlements between the two countries while avoiding secondary sanctions.

Also, the infrastructure level in Russia's Far East needs further improvement. Due to many European ports refusing to handle Russian cargo, the cargo throughput at St. Petersburg port in the Baltic Sea has significantly declined.

Additionally, as Russia's economic cooperation shifts toward the Asia-Pacific, ports in the Far East, including Vladivostok, are now handling a large volume of Russia's import and export maritime business.

Vladivostok port is currently operating at overcapacity, Chen said. "With the surge in China-Russia trade, there is a great need for more ports or the expansion of existing ports in the Far East. Therefore, we look forward to more cooperation between the two countries in infrastructure construction in the Far East."

Wang Xiaoquan, an expert with the Institute of Russian, Eastern European & Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the economies of China and Russia have unique complementarities, with China being the largest economy capable of comprehensive economic cooperation with Russia.

Given the significant reduction in Russia's economic relations, particularly energy relations, with the US and the West, and the need to advance the "Turn to the East" strategy, Russia will place greater emphasis on the strategic role of the Chinese market in exporting its oil and gas products.

Russia also views China as a source of funds and technology for implementing its import substitution policy and modernizing infrastructure, aiming for comprehensive integration in areas such as energy, defense, aerospace, agriculture, finance, and technology, Wang said.

"During President Putin's new term, China-Russia practical cooperation in all fields is likely to develop rapidly, with significant breakthroughs expected in areas such as energy, agriculture and manufacturing," the expert said.

The industrial and supply chains of the two countries are expected to achieve integrated development, he noted.

In recent years, Russia has shown an increasingly positive attitude toward the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), especially in terms of connectivity, capacity cooperation, finance and trade. China and Russia are expected to implement more multilateral economic cooperation projects under the framework of aligning the BRI with the Eurasian Economic Union. Russia is also expected to provide more support for the internationalization of the renminbi, the expert added.

US tech giant Apple's headset Vision Pro has achieved a significant milestone before entering the Chinese market, gaining official approval from China Compulsory Certification 3C certification, paving the way for its sale on the Chinese mainland market.

According to the website of the China Quality Certification Center, the certification for Apple's Vision Pro was issued on May 13, 2024, with validity extending until May 12, 2029.

Despite being priced at $3,499 in the US market, equivalent to 25,325 yuan, Apple has yet to disclose the official pricing and localized name for Vision Pro for the Chinese mainland market. 

Notably, the trademark for Vision Pro in China has been owned by Huawei.

Vision Pro, initially released in June 2023, was not available in other regions outside the US market until today, according to media reports.

Reuters reported on May 14 that Apple plans to unveil Vision Pro in international markets following the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) scheduled for June 10 -14 this year.

In addition, Apple is currently conducting training sessions for its employees in seven countries, including China, on effectively showcasing its Vision Pro products to customers in new markets. 

The introduction of Apple Vision Pro to the Chinese mainland market, coupled with potential local production, is expected to "facilitate a exchange of digital product-related technologies and research between Apple and local Chinese teams," Liang Zhenpeng, an independent tech analyst, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Apple's fiscal second-quarter earnings report this year said the company's overall sales fell 4 percent to $45.96 billion and iPhone sales fell 10 percent year on year, suggesting weak market demand for the current generation of its smartphones. 

Apple's Vision Pro entering the Chinese market could also help the company boost its global market share and brand influence in China, as the company fends off concerns over decreasing consumer confidence in this market, Liang noted.

China's film box office hit 1.527 billion yuan during the May Day holidays

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2024 will host a variety of Healthy Life events dedicated to healthcare and a Healthy Life Area thematic exhibition during which key members of the healthcare community will share cutting-edge technology projects and innovative developments. The SPIEF will also feature a series of expert discussions on healthcare.

Leading government and scientific figures will join representatives of the pharmaceutical and medical industries to hold talks on important healthcare topics in the area presentation zone.

“The Healthy Life Area has always been a place for presenting significant healthcare achievements at SPIEF. The expert discussions that take place there cover a wide range of issues facing healthcare, medical and scientific development, the accessibility of medical care, digitalization in the industry, in addition to human resources. The event’s business program has been drawn up with the support of experts from leading scientific centers to the ensure current topics are covered correctly. Experts will discuss major issues surrounding import substitution for medical and pharmaceutical products, advanced technologies for active longevity, new opportunities for medical and health tourism in Russia, corporate and social initiatives coming from Russian companies, opportunities to invest in the development of biomedical technologies, neurotechnology, digital health ecosystems, the application of artificial intelligence to new innovative products, and the development of healthcare technologies within BRICS,” First Deputy Director for Development and Head of the Healthcare Directorate of the Roscongress Foundation Anastasia Stolkova said.

The expert discussions have been organized with the support of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency of the Russian Federation, the Russian Research Institute of Health, the Center for Healthcare Quality Assessment and Control of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, and the Sechenov University Institute of Leadership and Health Management among others.

“The topics up for discussion in the Healthy Life Area at SPIEF reflect the current healthcare agenda: training for human resources, digitalization and artificial intelligence, telemedicine and innovative technologies, and disease prevention.  The Russian Research Institute of Health has always provided expert support for the event and taken an active part in the preparation of sessions for the business program,” Russian Research Institute of Health Director Olga Kobyakova said.

The Healthy Life project is an industry platform for direct dialogue between representatives of the government and the expert community and a place to share experience with innovation, discuss target benchmarks, global trends, and the outlook for healthcare system, and work on practical proposals for building a healthier society.

Official website of the event: forumhealth.ru.

The 27th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will be held from 5 to 8 June, 2024 at the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The Roscongress Foundation is a socially oriented non-financial development institution and major organizer of nationwide and international conventions; exhibitions; and business, public, youth, sporting, and cultural events. It was established in pursuance of a decision by the President of the Russian Federation.

Chinese experts said on Thursday that potential export restrictions by the US on artificial intelligence (AI) models mainly target China, and the reported move is essentially a case of self-isolation and a hegemonic action, which will hinder the swift evolution of the global AI industry and dampen previous strides in globalization.

The so-called security concerns on the use of advanced AI models are completely political rhetoric meant to stoke fears over China's development, amid the intensifying US crackdown on Chinese products, observers said.

Reuters has reported that the US government is considering a new regulatory push to restrict exports of proprietary or closed-source AI models, whose software, and the data they train on, are kept under wraps.

The action was due to concerns that "US adversaries could use the models… to wage aggressive cyber-attacks or even create potent biological weapons."

The move adds to restrictions Washington has put in place to block exports of sophisticated AI technologies to China.

As China's AI sector booms, the US government has been acutely aware of the competitive pressure exerted by its biggest rival. With AI models emerging as a new focal point of competition, the US has continuously used the "national security threat" rhetoric to stoke fears over Chinese products, in a bid to hinder China's industrial upgrading, Ma Jihua, a veteran telecom industry observer, told the Global Times on Thursday.

The US announced in April it was adding four Chinese firms to an export blacklist for allegedly aiding Chinese entities in acquiring AI chips in violation of US regulations, according to media reports. Analysts noted that the action was part of the intensifying US crackdown on China's high-tech sector in recent years.

China's Foreign Ministry said in April that "we strongly oppose the illegal US unilateral sanctions" and vowed to do "what is necessary to firmly safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies while urging the US to stop politicizing trade and tech issues and turning them into weapons."

Regardless of the measures the US may ultimately enact, the impact on China's AI sector is expected to be minimal, analysts said. Instead, the likely move would drive Chinese users toward home-grown large language models (LLMs), which are gaining robust momentum, Pan Helin, a member of the Expert Committee for Information and Communication Economy under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, told the Global Times on Thursday.

China's LLM sector is highly competitive, with a wide array of options available for its huge market. Given the disparities between Chinese and English contexts, homegrown AI products are better suited to Chinese consumers than their US counterparts, Pan said, highlighting the vast potential of the country's high-tech sector.

The Chinese Embassy in the US responded to inquiries by denouncing the reported action as a "typical act of economic coercion and unilateral bullying, which China firmly opposes," adding that it would take "necessary measures" to protect its interests, Reuters reported.

China is stepping up efforts to boost AI development and has witnessed fruitful outcomes. As of April, 117 LLMs had been registered in China for generative AI services, according to the Cyberspace Administration of China, reflecting the fierce competition in this burgeoning sector.

This year's Government Work Report noted AI's crucial role in accelerating new quality productive forces, highlighting the country's continuous push for the high-quality development of the digital economy by stepping up R&D and application of big data and AI, and planning to launch an AI Plus Initiative.

Israeli leaders said the army had enough munitions on hand to proceed with its plans in Rafah, despite US President Joe Biden's threat of pausing some arms deliveries. Israel, its close ally, has put the US in an awkward position, according to observers. They attribute this situation to the deep-rooted flaws in the US political system.

President Biden quoted by CNN threatened to stop the supply of specific weapons if Israeli soldiers entered populated areas of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. The threat was widely interpreted as a turning point with relation to Israel in the seven-month conflict. 

Reacting to Biden's announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone." Other Israeli officials also expressed disappointment and criticism over Biden's remarks. 

On Friday, the General Assembly is scheduled to hold a vote on Palestine's bid to become a full member of the UN, a move seen by many as largely symbolic. In a surprising move, Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan spoke on behalf of the US, stating, "If it is approved, I expect the US to completely stop funding the UN and its institutions, in accordance with American law." 

Asked why before any official stance of the US has been taken, an Israeli diplomat stationed at the UN seems to have made diplomatic decisions on behalf of the US, Chinese experts said the development was not surprising. 

Earlier, the US House of Representatives surprisingly passed an "Anti-Semitism Awareness Act" aimed at addressing rising antisemitism among college students who are angered by Israel's acts in Gaza and the US' long-standing biased Middle East policy.

Ding Long, a professor from the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times that despite increasing pressure from the international community, the Biden administration has stood firm with Israel by providing weapons and other assistance. But this time, Biden is eager to remove the burden of Israel and doesn't want it to become a negative factor for his election campaign. 

A few days ago, during the negotiations in Cairo, the US dispatched the CIA director in hope of achieving a deal between Israel and Palestine to cool down the conflict. However, the current problem is that Netanyahu, whose position as prime minister is in peril, simply does not listen to the US, and proceeding the war is the only option for Netanyahu to continue political career, Ding noted. "Once you get on the tiger's back, it's hard to get off again."

The military possesses the required weaponry for its planned operations, including those in Rafah, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari stated on Thursday.

Despite conditioning its military shipments to Israel, Biden remained committed to making sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to those attacks. Li Jianmin, academic dean of the Institute of Central Asian Studies at Northwest Normal University, told the Global Times that the Biden administration cannot risk completely angering Israel. 

One reason for the Biden administration not to completely turn its back on Israel is that protecting Israel is in line with its overall policy of playing a bigger role in the Middle East, Li said. 

Israel's recent actions in Rafah has forced approximately 80,000 residents to flee their homes, with most seeking refuge in Khan Younis or Deir al Balah. These areas are lacking essential services, according to the United Nations. 

The Israeli military instructed around 110,000 civilians to leave parts of Rafah, which has become a haven for many displaced Palestinians living in inadequate conditions, media reports said. Previously, Jordan condemned Israeli settlers attacked a humanitarian aid convoy on its way to Erez crossing in northern Gaza. 

Observers warned of more humanitarian disasters as they predicted Netanyahu is determined to continue the military operation in Rafah. Lin Jian, a Chinese spokesperson for foreign ministry on Friday also condemned Israel's behavior of attacking aid convoy, urging Israel to implement international humanitarian aid law and provide guarantee for the aid.

Xi, Vucic jointly meet press in Belgrade.

The Chang'e-6 lunar probe is scheduled to be launched between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. (Beijing Time) Friday, with the preferred launch window targeted at 5:27 p.m., said the China National Space Administration.

Hopes remain slim of a Gaza cease-fire as a Hamas delegation is expected to visit Cairo, Egypt on Monday for talks, after the group said it is studying a reply from Israel over a cease-fire proposal. Analysts said that while both Israel and Hamas could benefit from a temporary cease-fire, it still lacks factors to be positive. Under the growing international and domestic protests, the moral pressure and diplomatic isolation of Israel and the US may deepen. 

According to media reports, Hamas said in a Saturday statement that it has received Israel's official response to its latest cease-fire proposal in Gaza and will review it before submitting its reply, amid the latest efforts by Egypt as a broker. 

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Hamas official told Reuters on Sunday that a delegation will visit Cairo on Monday for Gaza cease-fire talks. And the group will deliver its response to Israel's latest counterproposal for a Gaza cease-fire.

During an interview with local media Channel 12 television earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the release of hostages is the "top priority," and if there is a deal with Hamas on it, "we will suspend the operation," according to a Reuters report on Saturday. 

Citing two Israeli officials, Axios reported that Israel told Egyptian officials on Friday that it was ready to give hostage negotiations "one last chance" to reach a deal with Hamas before moving forward with a ground invasion of Rafah, where more than one million displaced Palestinians are sheltering due to the conflict, which has lasted more than six months. 

Israel Defense Forces chief of staff General Herzi Halevi and director of the Shin Bet security agency Ronen Bar visited Cairo earlier for talks on the Rafah operation and the hostage deal, Axios reported.

The Israeli officials said the talks with the Egyptians on Friday were "constructive" and that the Egyptians made it clear they intend to put pressure on Hamas to secure a deal for the release of hostages, according to Axios. However, a Wall Street Journal report said on Saturday that talks toward a hostage deal had little chance of success, according to Egyptian officials familiar with the negotiations.

Chinese experts said there is demand on both sides for a cease-fire, but the prospects for an actual cease-fire are still bleak. 

"Despite Hamas seeks a cease-fire when Rafah is almost their last stronghold in Gaza, the 'one last chance' claimed by Israel is also for themselves, as in the face of domestic pressure, they need Hamas to free as many hostages as possible before it attacks Rafah," said Niu Xinchun, executive director of the China-Arab Research Institute of Ningxia University. 

Amid the efforts to break the deadlock, on Saturday, Hamas released a video of two hostages, which US media interpreted as a tactic to increase pressure on the Israeli government to reach a cease-fire deal.  

Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, believes that the possibility of reaching a cease-fire deal is still limited, especially regarding the attitude from Qatar, a major mediator that has been promoting a cease-fire since last November. 

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also foreign minister, said there was a "misuse of this mediation for narrow political interests, and this necessitated Qatar to undertake a full evaluation of this role."

In an interview with Israeli media Haaretz published on Saturday, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said that the Israel and Hamas "are not showing enough commitment" to reach a cease-fire and a hostage release deal, and "it gets sabotaged by both sides" when a deal gets close.  

Qatar's attitude illustrates how difficult the task of brokering a cease-fire will be, Liu said. 

Cease-fire talks between Hamas and Israel since the conflict broke out last October, have been more about hostage release and humanitarian aid, but they have never touched on the fundamentals of a permanent cease-fire. It means it is just about short-term expediency, Liu said. 

The Hamas side wants a complete cease-fire, and the Israelis want a complete elimination of Hamas, and that has not changed, Liu said. 

By claiming "one last chance," Israel is aiming to put more blame on Hamas and ease its pressure in the diplomatic sphere, especially after a top Hamas official said they will agree to a truce of five years or more and that it would lay down its weapons if an independent Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders, Liu said. 

Growing pressure

The cease-fire deadlock comes alongside a summit attended by regional and global leaders in Saudi Arabia, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. 

Speaking at a World Economic Forum (WEF) special meeting in Riyadh on Sunday, Abbas urged the US to ask Israel to stop the Rafah invasion, as the US "is the only country capable of preventing Israel from committing this crime," which would be "the biggest disaster in the history of the Palestinian people."

Citing diplomats, Reuters said on Friday that China will host Palestinian unity talks between Hamas and Fatah in Beijing.  

An Israeli attack on Rafah, which has been the main channel of outside aid into Gaza in the past six months, would be a further humanitarian disaster, Niu said. 

According to the Gaza health ministry on Sunday, Israeli's war in Gaza has killed at least 34,454 Palestinians since last October. 

Israel now faces a dilemma: with increasing diplomatic isolation and moral pressure from the international community, Israel must find some way to protect the over 1 million Palestinians in Rafah and even arrange for the transfer of civilians, but on the other hand, it is still unwilling to give ground on stopping the military operation in Gaza, Liu said.  

Whether or not a cease-fire is reached, Israel may opt for a compromise in the next phase of the conflict, Liu said, noting that Israel may keep up its partial bombardment of Gaza, but the large-scale invasion in Rafah may be postponed. 

Despite the Biden Administration warning Israel against a possible Rafah invasion, US President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed legislation that includes $26 billion in additional wartime assistance to Israel. 

After more than 100 protesters at Columbia University in New York City were arrested, student protests over the Israel-Hamas war have spread to other campuses, with more university students rallying for a cease-fire in Gaza. Pro-Palestine demonstration have occurred in London and Paris in recent days. 

To some extent, the growing campus protests in the US are a result of US duplicity and hypocrisy, which would put more pressure and cause dilemma for the US, Liu said. 

In fact, the US and Israel have the same fundamental interests and war objectives, and the US still supports Israel to completely eliminate Hamas, which means a Rafah invasion is inevitable, Niu said.  

With the thunderous roar, the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China, atop the Long March-2F Y18 carrier rocket on 8:59 pm on Thursday, carrying taikonauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu as well as nearly 100 experimental projects to the Tiangong space station.

Following a smooth 10-minute flight, the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft successfully entered its planned orbit, as confirmed by a statement the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) sent to the Global Times.

After entering its orbit, the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft adopted an autonomous rapid rendezvous, successfully docking with the Tianhe core module's radial docking port approximately 6.5 hours post-launch. This marked the formation of a three-ship, three-module complex.

Radial docking is a critical part of this mission. Compared to the more familiar forward and backward rendezvous and docking tasks, radial docking is "more like a complex action movie," officials with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), China's leading space contractor, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"The hundred-ton class assembly of the space station could obstruct the spacecraft's measurement sensors, and there will be mutual impact of plumes from the station's engines… These will all pose significant challenges for radial docking. To eliminate the risks, we have minimized performance parameter deviations at each stage and verified that the docking mechanism has the capture and buffer capability under 31 complex conditions," the CASC said in a statement.
The Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft is the second in the space station's application and development phase to implement radial docking. Prior to this mission, Shenzhou-16 had already successfully completed radial docking with the Chinese space station on May 30, 2023.

The current radial docking will further mark the maturity of China's independently developed space rendezvous and docking GNC (Guidance, Navigation, and Control) technology, said CNSA in its statement.

As manned missions to Tiangong have become normalized, more than 90 experiments are scheduled to be carried out in and outside of the space station during Shenzhou-18's six-month stay. These experiments include various fields such as microgravity basic physics, space materials science, space life science, aerospace medicine, and aerospace technology, CMSA spokesperson Lin Xiqiang said Wednesday while detailing the mission one day prior to the launch.
'The fourth crew member'

One of the highlights for this trip is the adventure of the very first fish, which has been dubbed adorably by Chinese netizens as "the fourth crew member of Shenzhou-18."

Using zebrafish and hornwort, "the experiment will be China's first in-orbit aquatic ecological research project, which aims to make a breakthrough in the cultivation of vertebrates in space," Lin said.

"In the broader picture, this ecosystem could potentially serve as a model for creating new ecological environments in space, including food ecosystems. On a smaller scale, the microgravity and radiation effects of space, if prolonged, are still unknown in terms of their impact on the members of the mini ecosystem and the material and energy cycles within the new ecosystem, which can provide new insights to our understanding toward space," Cang Huaixing, a research fellow at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times.

"Additionally, our device is equipped with a CCD for photography and video recording, enabling and facilitating behavioral studies of the fish," Cang said. "In fact, my observations in recent days have been surprising. The behavior of the fish is much more complex than we had previously imagined."

The selection of the fortunate "fourth member" is not just because zebrafish are beautiful, but also because they are well-known "model organisms" in the scientific community.

They have advantages such as small size, short development cycle, and short experimental period. What's more, zebrafish eggs are transparent, making it easy for researchers to observe the process of embryonic development.

More importantly, zebrafish share 87 percent genetic similarity with humans, making them suitable for studying and revealing universal principles of life forms.

In 2012, Japan had also sent a zebrafish aquarium to the International Space Station to observe the effects of microgravity on osteoblast and osteoclast activity.

Cang told the Global Times that while Japan's research focused on fish as the subject, China's goal is to construct and study an entire ecosystem.

Apart from raising fish, the Shenzhou-18 crew will also conduct the world's first in-orbit stem cell study on the plant's stem tips, to reveal the mechanism of plant evolutionary adaptation to gravity and provide theoretical support for space cropping, the CMSA revealed.

The prevention and damage repair of space debris impact will also be a key task during their stay.

"With human space activities rapidly increasing in recent years, the problem of space debris has become more prominent," Lin said. He noted that they had previously discovered that some of the solar panel cables on the space station were damaged by space debris impacts, leading to a partial loss of power supply capacity.

Building on the existing space debris protection mechanism at the station, the Shenzhou-18 crew will install debris protection reinforcement devices on external pipelines, cables, and key equipment during their extravehicular activities (EVAs). They will also conduct external inspections as needed to further ensure the safety of the space station.

In total, the Shenzhou-18 taikonauts are expected to carry out two to three EVAs and implement six cargo outbound deliveries via the station's cargo airlock module.

Heading to the moon

In February, CMSA revealed that landing Chinese on the moon has become the next priority for the country's space exploration now that the construction of Tiangong has been completed.

With the overall goal of achieving a lunar landing by 2030, research and development of various systems are currently under way as planned. The necessary design work for the Long March-10 carrier rocket, the Mengzhou manned spacecraft, Lanyue lunar lander, and lunar suits have all completed and are now in the process of producing initial samples and conducting various tests.

Additionally, the spacecraft and lander have completed the development of thermal test products, and the rocket is conducting ground tests of engines.

The construction of the Wenchang manned lunar exploration launch site has also been launched. Now, public solicitation of manned lunar vehicles and lunar payload schemes is underway, with competition for selection.

Compared to space station missions, lunar missions require astronauts to master the normal and emergency operations of the Mengzhou spacecraft and Lanyue lunar lander, as well as lunar surface operations such as entering and exiting the cabin, carrying out activities under one-sixth of normal gravity, driving lunar rovers over long distances, and conducting drilling, sampling, and scientific investigations on the moon.

China's fourth round of taikonaut selection will soon be completed. After joining the team, they will work together with incumbent taikonauts to carry out the follow-up missions in the space station and achieve the goal of landing on the moon.

China National Space Administration (CNSA) also revealed more details of international cooperation in its lunar probe programs on the just-ended China Space Day on Wednesday.

The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS,) a lunar program currently led by the CNSA and Russia's Roscosmos, has added Nicaragua, the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO), and the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Science as collaborating countries and organizations.

China will cooperate with these three parties in various aspects such as engineering implementation, operation and application of the ILRS program, the CNSA said.