AU official hails FOCAC in facilitating China-Africa space science cooperation

Mohamed Belhocine, African Union commissioner for education, science, technology and innovation, speaks during an interview with Chinese media at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Sept. 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is facilitating the growing China-Africa cooperation in space science and technology, a senior African Union official has said.

ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is facilitating the growing China-Africa cooperation in space science and technology, a senior African Union (AU) official has said.

Speaking to Xinhua recently, Mohamed Belhocine, AU Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, said FOCAC is helping realize Africa's aspiration in space science and technology.

"With our friends in China, we have a framework of cooperation through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. It is in the framework of this forum that we are organizing meetings, which I hope will help the extension of knowledge about space science into our youth in different parts of Africa," the AU commissioner said.

He said in addition to the thriving cooperation under the continental bloc of the African Union, China is also strengthening cooperation with independent African countries in the space arena.

"Everybody is following the huge progress related to China's performance as far as space is concerned," Belhocine said, as he underscored China's recent successes in the space arena.

Mohamed Belhocine, African Union commissioner for education, science, technology and innovation, speaks during an interview with Chinese media at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Sept. 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

Belhocine said the huge progress and the leaps that China is taking in space science will enable African countries to harness the space potential.

"They (Chinese) also have their own space station, which is a huge achievement and of course, there is room for cooperation, there is room for sharing experience, there is room for accompanying the African continent to go its own steps in as far as space science is concerned," Belhocine said.

Belhocine further emphasized that China's achievements in the space arena would be welcomed as positive progress in terms of benefiting the global community at large.

"We wish that the whole of humanity will benefit from all this progress made by China and by other countries as well," he said.

The AU commissioner's comments came after three Chinese astronauts talked from space with youths from eight African countries on Tuesday via video link, sharing their experience in the Shenzhou-14 mission to African space enthusiasts.

Belhocine said the rare opportunity to talk with astronauts in orbit, which has reinvigorated African youths' space dreams, is an extension of broader China-Africa cooperation in space science and technology and future collaboration prospects.

The taikonauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe are on a six-month stay in orbit. The main venue of the event, "Talk with Taikonauts," was held at the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

"In the new space era, Africa is open for mutually beneficial cooperation, and it is ready for engagements on all kinds of win-win scenarios. I want to thank China for the deliberate engagements in space advancement in Africa," the commissioner said.