Mr. Chairman,
The Chinese delegation congratulates you on your election as Chair of the 68th session of the COPUOS and assures you of its full support in your work. We would like to thank Director of UNOOSA, Ms. Aarti Holla-Maini, and the Secretariat for the preparations made for this session.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. Over the past 80 years, the UN has played an irreplaceable role in maintaining international peace and security and promoting global common development. This has also been a historical period of rapid human progress in the development and utilization of outer space. As the main UN platform for global governance of outer space, COPUOS has contributed significantly to promoting space international cooperation and advancing space science and technology for the benefit of all humankind.
Today the global governance of outer space faces many new challenges. The technological divide hampers equal participation, and the demands of the global South to take full part in outer space affairs and benefit from space science and technology achievements are becoming more urgent. Some countries pursue unilateralism and politicize outer space cooperation. An upgraded version of the "Star Wars" program has been introduced. With the diversification of space actors, the rapid increase in commercial space activities in particular, and the emergence of new types of space activities, the global space governance is facing new issues.
Faced with these challenges, the international community should uphold true multilateralism, maintain the central role of COPUOS, enhance international space law based on the Outer Space Treaty, and strengthen international cooperation based on mutual respect, openness and inclusiveness. It is of particular importance to ensure the right of the Global South to peaceful use of outer space and its share of the benefits of space science and technology, which should be used to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
Mr. Chair,
If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. China firmly upholds the vision of a community with a shared future for humankind and actively implements the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping. China is vigorously advancing the peaceful use of outer space and actively engaging in international cooperation. We are sharing the benefits of space technology development with the international community.
China’s door to international space cooperation is wide open. The first batch of international science experiment projects, jointly selected by China and UNOOSA, is being successfully carried out aboard the China Space Station. China will announce the second round of cooperation opportunities in due course. The China Space Station will soon receive a Pakistani astronaut. In April of this year, China released the results of international applications to borrow lunar samples from the Chang’e-5 mission, approving applications from seven research institutions across six countries. During this conference, lunar soil samples collected by Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6 from both the near and far sides of the Moon will be exhibited at the United Nations for the first time, at the Vienna International Centre. So far, 17 countries and international organizations, along with more than 50 international research institutions, have actively responded and joined the International Lunar Research Station cooperation. The Beidou global satellite navigation system continues to operate steadily, providing global users with all-weather, all-time, high-precision positioning, navigation, and timing services. Mr. Chair,
As we gaze upon the starry sky, we are reminded that humanity shares a common destiny. It is our shared mission to make outer space a platform for cooperation and mutual benefit. Let us take the 80th anniversary of the UN as an opportunity to further advance the great cause of the peaceful use of outer space, contribute to the improvement of global outer space governance, and jointly build a community with a shared future for humankind in the realm of outer space.
Thank you Chair.