Islamabad, Pakistan - February 28, 2025 A Pakistani astronaut will fly to the Chinese space station, with the two countries signing a cooperation agreement in Islamabad, Pakistan on Friday. The agreement was signed between the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) and the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO). Under the agreement, the Chinese government will select and train a group of Pakistani astronauts, with one of them becoming the first foreign astronaut to enter the Chinese space station. The selection process will last about a year, and the Pakistani astronauts will join a comprehensive and systematic training camp in China. They will then carry out short-term flight missions in batches together with their Chinese counterparts in the space station in the next few years. In the presence of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the agreement was signed by Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA and Muhammad Yousuf Khan, chairman of the SUPARCO at the Prime Minister's House. Chinese astronaut Ye Guangfu, the current Chinese record holder for longest spaceflight duration, also attended the signing ceremony. He said he could feel the passion of the Pakistani people for the advancement of space research and the advancement of relations between the two countries. "We can feel that Pakistan is very sincere and enthusiastic, and they have high expectations for cooperation between China and Pakistan in the field of manned spaceflight," said Ye. Shotlist: Islamabad, Pakistan - Feb 28, 2025: 1. Various of signing ceremony in progress; 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Muhammad Yousaf Khan, chairman, Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (partially overlaid with shot 3): "It is a landmark milestone in the history of the Pakistan space program, and I see the human space flight program of China nowadays is at the top. So this program, this cooperation agreement is very important for Pakistan."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 3. Board reading "Pakistan Manned Space Mission"; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: In Space - Date Unknown 4. Various of Tiangong space station, astronauts; Islamabad, Pakistan - Feb 28, 2025 5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Lin Xiqiang, deputy director, China Manned Space Agency: "Pakistan will select and train its first astronaut, while China will take the first step in selecting and training foreign astronauts and participating in space station missions. China and Pakistan will continue to strengthen their traditional friendship in the vast expanse of space."; FILE: In Space - Date Unknown 6. Various of Tiangong space station, astronauts; Islamabad, Pakistan - Feb 28, 2025 7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Ye Guangfu, Chinese astronaut: "We can feel that Pakistan is very sincere and enthusiastic, and they have high expectations for cooperation between China and Pakistan in the field of manned spaceflight."; FILE: China - Date Unknown 8. Various of astronauts undergoing training. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]