中国载人航天工程首批外籍航天员选拔工作于4月上旬结束,2名巴基斯坦宇航员已于4月24日抵达北京的中国航天员中心,开始与中国同行一起训练。其中一人后续将以载荷专家身份,成为首位进入中国空间站的外籍航天员。四川国际传播中心特邀巴基斯坦伊斯兰堡和平与外交研究所主任穆罕默德·阿西夫·努尔(Muhammad Asif Noor),深入解读此次合作的战略意义、对中巴关系的长远影响。正文如下:


The selection process for the first batch of foreign astronauts for China's manned space programme has concluded, and the two Pakistani astronaut arrived at the Astronaut Center of China in Beijing on April 4th, beginning training with Chinese counterparts. One of them will subsequently become the first foreign astronaut to enter the Chinese space station in the role of payload specialist. The Sichuan International Communication Center invited Muhammad Asif Noor, director of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies in Islamabad, to provide an in-depth analysis of the strategic significance of this collaboration and its long-term impact on China-Pakistan relations. The full text is as follows:



中国载人航天工程完成首批外籍航天员选拔后,2名入选的巴基斯坦籍候选人如今已经开始在北京接受训练。此次选拔兼具象征意义与战略价值。按照计划,待候选人通过全部训练并达标后,其中1人将以载荷专家身份参加飞行任务,成为首位进入中国空间站的外籍航天员,并执行天宫空间站飞行任务。这一合作表明,中巴两国关系已从传统的地缘安全协作迈入以技术共享与知识互通为驱动的新阶段。


Following the completion of the first selection process for foreign astronauts under China's manned space programme, the two Pakistani candidates who were selected have now begun training in Beijing. Once they finish the courses and meet all standards, one of them will join a Chinese crew as a payload specialist on a mission to the Tiangong space station, becoming the first foreign astronaut to enter the Chinese space station. That flight would place the first Pakistani national in orbit and mark the first time any foreign astronaut lives and works aboard China's orbital outpost. It shows that a partnership once defined by geography and security has entered a phase where technology and knowledge shape its direction.


2025年10月30日,神舟二十一号载人飞行任务新闻发布会在酒泉卫星发射中心举行。(图源:新华社)

A press conference on the Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceflight mission is held in Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Oct. 30, 2025. (Credit: Xinhua)

战略升级:合作迈向科技与知识共享新阶段

Strategic Upgrade: Cooperation Enters a New Phase of Technology and Knowledge Sharing


这一进展恰逢重要节点。中巴两国于1951年正式建交,2026年将迎来建交75周年。当前,两国首都已通过文化交流、学生互访、高层会晤等一系列活动,充分彰显双边伙伴关系的深厚根基。而此次航天员选拔,更是为中巴关系拓展了全新维度,将双边合作从公路、港口、能源等传统领域,延伸至载人航天这一前所未有的前沿领域。双方官员均表示,此次合作是全天候战略合作伙伴关系拓展至人类探索未知疆域的有力佐证。


This development lands at a pointed moment. The year 2026 marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, which began in 1951. Events across both capitals have already highlighted the depth of the partnership through cultural programs, student exchanges, and high-level visits. The astronaut selection adds a layer that few could have imagined at the start of formal ties. It moves the relationship beyond roads, ports, and energy projects into the domain of human spaceflight. Officials from both sides describe the step as concrete proof that the all-weather strategic partnership now extends to the final frontier.


对于长期处于航天探索领域边缘的巴基斯坦而言,此次合作的现实意义尤为突出。尽管此前在中方的协助下,巴基斯坦已成功发射多颗卫星,其中包括巴基斯坦遥感卫星一号(PRSS-1),但这些项目规模有限,未能带动巴基斯坦的科研与创新体系的发展。而载人航天合作将改变这一格局。


For Pakistan, the stakes feel immediate. The country has long remained on the margins of space activity. It has launched satellites with Chinese assistance, including PRSS-1, these projects were useful but limited in scope. They did not create a domestic ecosystem of research and innovation. Human spaceflight changes the equation.


需要说明的是,本次入选的巴基斯坦籍候选人不负责驾驶航天器,其主要职责是操作科学载荷。该岗位同样要求候选人达到与乘组其他成员同等的身心素质标准。通过相关培训,巴基斯坦籍航天员将接触到巴基斯坦空间与高层大气研究委员会此前从未涉足过的大规模系统和成套的作业流程。在轨实践积累的技术经验,未来可反哺巴基斯坦国内的各类科研项目,涵盖卫星研发、遥感应用等诸多领域。


The selected candidate will not pilot the spacecraft but will handle scientific payloads. That role still demands the same physical and mental standards as any crew member. The training will expose Pakistani personnel to systems and procedures that SUPARCO has never handled at this scale. Knowledge gained in orbit can feed back into domestic programs, from satellite design to remote sensing.


2025年8月15日在北京航天飞行控制中心屏幕上拍摄的神舟二十号乘组航天员陈冬在舱外工作的画面。

(图源:新华社)

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Aug. 15, 2025 shows Shenzhou-20 taikonaut Chen Dong performing extravehicular activities outside China's orbiting space station. (Credit: Xinhua)


这次任务预计将于2026年底实施,为工程师预留了充足时间,以便将外籍载荷专家纳入工作流程。中国载人航天工程办公室多次重申,中国空间站愿意与世界上所有致力于和平利用外空的国家和地区开展联合实验与训练合作。此次中巴合作的案例开创了一个切实可行的先例:国际航天合作无需采用其他项目中常见的繁琐多边官僚机制。这证明了建立在信任基础上的双边框架,能够更快地取得成果。


The mission will likely occur toward the end of 2026, giving engineers time to integrate the payload specialist into the workflow. CMSA (China Manned Space Agency) has repeated that the station remains available for joint experiments and training from any country ready to cooperate. The Pakistani case sets a practical precedent. It shows that international participation does not require the complex multinational bureaucracy seen in other programs. A bilateral framework, built on trust, delivers results faster.

双重价值:

从“参与者”到“贡献者”的身份转型

Dual Value: Transforming from Participant to Contributor


此次巴基斯坦籍航天员的加入具备双重战略价值一方面深化了中巴双边战略互信与务实合作,另一方面也向世界印证了中方合作倡议的可靠性与包容性。对巴基斯坦而言,参与这一重大航天任务有助于重塑其国际形象——使其从传统合作中的参与者,转变为前沿科研领域的贡献者。在国际多边论坛活动中,这种转变尤为关键:它将国际社会对巴基斯坦的叙事,从“依赖”转向了“贡献”。


Pakistan's inclusion serves a dual purpose. It deepens bilateral ties while also demonstrating that China's offer of cooperation is credible. For Islamabad, this translates into diplomatic capital. Being part of a major space mission alters perception. It allows Pakistan to present itself as a participant in advanced scientific work. In multilateral forums, this matters. It shifts the narrative from dependency to contribution.

未来展望:75年后再启新程

Future Prospects: A New Journey 

After 75 Years


中巴建交75周年为审视双边关系发展历程提供了一个天然的观察窗口。两国关系历经全球政治格局的变迁、政权更替与经济压力等多重考验后,依然坚如磐石。此次航天员选拔恰好印证了一种模式:一旦双方政府确立了共同目标,便会协同推进、落实。2名巴基斯坦籍候选人将与中方航天员进行为期数月的训练。这段共同经历,将在并肩协作中深化理解、增进情谊,为两国航天合作注入更多人文温度。


The 75th anniversary provides a natural vantage point to assess the trajectory. Relations have survived shifts in global politics, leadership changes, and economic pressures. The astronaut selection does illustrate a pattern: when both governments identify a shared objective, they find ways to pursue it. The candidates will train alongside Chinese colleagues for months. That shared experience will create personal bonds stronger than any official statement.


当前,中巴两国正处于重新定义双方合作性质的关键节点。太空领域合作并非孤立举措,而是向高附加值产业升级转型的重要一环,这一转型将深刻塑造未来的全球秩序。这次合作也表明,中巴伙伴关系具备顺应新形势的调适能力。


Nowadays, China and Pakistan stand at a point where the nature of their cooperation is being redefined. The move into space is not an isolated development. It is part of a broader shift toward high-value sectors that will shape the future global order. It shows that the partnership is capable of adapting to new realities.


随着候选人员动身赴华,此次合作已成为激励巴基斯坦人崇尚科学、奋勇进取的精神动力,也向中方科研人员昭示,中国航天的发展成果正切实赋能跨国协作、惠及友好伙伴。即便在75年后的今天,中巴关系仍在不断焕发新的生机。曾经只有中国航天员驻留的天宫空间站,不久后将迎来巴基斯坦籍航天员的身影。这一小步,承载着数十年的信任积淀,更预示着双方未来广阔的合作前景。


As the candidates prepare to leave for China, the story of cooperation carries on for a generation of Pakistanis who see science as a path forward. It tells Chinese engineers that their work now supports partners across borders. The relationship between Pakistan and China continues to find new expressions even after 75 years. The sky above Tiangong, once the exclusive domain of Chinese crews, will soon include a voice from Islamabad. That small step carries the accumulated trust of decades and points toward possibilities still unfolding.


穆罕默德·阿西夫·努尔

“一带一路”论坛之友创始人、巴基斯坦伊斯兰堡和平与外交研究所主任。长期关注国际关系与中国发展议题,曾在《人民日报》发表文章阐述中国式现代化对发展中国家的借鉴意义。


Muhammad Asif Noor

Founder of the Friends of BRI Forum and Advisor to the Pakistan Research Centre, and director of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies in Islamabad. He has long focused on international relations and issues relating to China's development, and has published articles in the People's Daily discussing the lessons that developing countries can learn from China's model of modernization.


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