BEIJING – China advocates the peaceful use of outer space, actively engages in international space cooperation, and promotes building a community with a shared future in outer space, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The ministry's spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, made the comments at a regular press briefing after announcing over the weekend that a Pakistani astronaut will join China's Shenzhou XXIV crewed mission as a payload specialist and complete a short on-orbit flight before returning to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft.

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Guo noted that the exploration of the vast universe and peaceful use of outer space are humanity's shared pursuit and bear on the welfare of all peoples.

He added that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners, and having the Pakistani astronaut on board China's spaceships will mark the first-ever joint flight of Chinese and foreign astronauts in the history of China's manned space program.

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This is yet another key outcome of bilateral cooperation as this year marks the 75th anniversary of China-Pakistan diplomatic ties, Guo said.

"We stand ready to work with the Pakistani side to carry forward our traditional friendship, deepen cooperation in space and other fields, and bring bilateral relations to new heights," the spokesperson added.