Beijing-China and Pakistan have signed an agreement on space exploration, marking a new phase in space science cooperation between the all-weather allies.The agreement was signed on April 27 during the visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to China for the 2nd Belt and Road Forum (BRF), the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said in a statement.The space agreement will serve as a high-level foundation for cooperation in space science and exploration. China had conducted such a test in January 2007 when its anti-satellite missile destroyed a weather satellite.Under the agreement, the CNSA and the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission will establish a China-Pakistan space committee chaired by top officials from both sides to address future collaborative issues.China has advanced space programme with successful manned missions besides exploration missions to Moon. China is also building its space station which was expected to be ready by 2022. "The newly-signed space exploration agreement between China and Pakistan on manned space missions manifests their more profound cooperation on the peaceful use of outer space ," state-run Global Times quoted experts as saying.Since Pakistan is China's all-weather friend, China is willing to provide know-how to foster Pakistan's technological development on the use of outer space, Lan Jianxue, an associate research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Monday. "The current agreement signifies that their cooperation is not limited to infrastructure and resources, it also concerns technology and innovation," Lan said.

Source: Economic Times April 29, 2019 15:56 UTC