China to share space development benefits with all: official

China will share the benefits of the development in its manned space program with all countries, especially developing countries, a space program official said Wednesday.

China will also expand international cooperation on equipment research and development, space application, astronaut training, joint flight and aerospace medical care, said Wu Ping, deputy director of the manned space engineering office, at a press conference.

China has signed multiple cooperation agreements with countries such as Russia, Germany and France, and organizations including the European Space Agency (ESA) and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, according to Wu.

"We have always insisted on conducting international exchanges and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and transparency, jointly promoting the progress and development of space technology," she said.

At the press conference, Wu said China will launch its Tiangong-2 space lab at 10:04 p.m. Thursday.

Tiangong-2's payload includes POLAR, a collaboration between ESA and Chinese institutions to study gamma ray bursts. A Sino-French research project on astronaut cardiovascular function will also be conducted via the space lab.

In July, Chinese astronaut Ye Guangfu participated in an advanced underground training course organized by the ESA in Italy.

"We are willing to work with all countries [...] to make contributions to peacefully use space and create benefits for mankind," Wu said. Endi