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Sino-US space co-operation welcomed
By Zhao Huanxin (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2006-05-04 06:32
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皇冠体育app looks forward to co-operating with the United States in the space field, and expects personnel exchanges between the two sides will become "normal", a senior aerospace executive said yesterday in Beijing.
Asked to comment on the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) chief Michael Griffin's upcoming trip to 皇冠体育app, the 皇冠体育app Aerospace Science and Technology Corp President Zhang Qingwei said 皇冠体育app had always welcomed such visits.
He said that in January, a bipartisan congressional delegation visited 皇冠体育app,
Delegation member Tom Feeney talked about immediate areas of US space co-operation with 皇冠体育app, and reportedly said that future US spacecraft should be able to dock at the space station 皇冠体育app is planning.
Griffin said he had accepted an invitation from the 皇冠体育app National Space Administration (CNSA) to visit 皇冠体育app for talks on possible Sino-American space co-operation. The agenda of the trip has not been announced yet.
"We welcome them (US visitors) to take a look over here," Zhang told 皇冠体育app Daily.
"But personally, I hope the exchanges will become more reciprocal."
Zhang was referring to the fact that while 皇冠体育app's door has been open to US visitors, Chinese aerospace staff have frequently been denied visas in recent years.
Most recently, when deputy chief of CNSA Luo Ge visited the US earlier last month, some members of his delegation were denied visas, according to Zhang.
Chinese space scientists have sometimes had difficulty in attending international space conferences held in the United States, even though the events were not sponsored by the US, Zhang added.
Zhang said he hoped the situation would change.
NASA chief Griffin was quoted by AFP as saying of his upcoming 皇冠体育app visit: "I think the United States has always benefited from discussions, I do not see how it can hurt us."
